


I NEVER FORGOT YOU

by ncsupnatfan



Series: Alternate Winchester Story [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Family, Loss, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-04-27 21:39:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 60
Words: 143,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14434629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ncsupnatfan/pseuds/ncsupnatfan
Summary: This starts at the beginning with the fire. The boys are put in an orphanage when John doesn't return from a trip. Sam gets adopted by a nice family but Dean doesn't have that luck. Dean swears to find him. He faces many horrors as he grows. When they do find each other again, can they become brothers and family once again. There will be dark chapters that will have warnings  This is a universe that I created with new characters and old.





	1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is a story I've been working on for a while. This writing is outside my comfort zone and outside the box. I have not wrote a story like this before so I don't know how it will be taken. Some of you might not like it, and I am sorry, but this is something I had to put to paper. This will head down a darker road than I have traveled before. It will delve into the evils that man can inflict on others and of abandonment and separation. With this said, I hope you will give this story a chance and travel this road with me. Your thoughts are always welcomed and greatly appreciated as always. Please comment. NC

 

"Daddy." the young boy said trying to keep the trembling out of his voice as he looked down at a crying baby being thrust into his arms.

"Take your brother outside as fast as you can and don't look back. Now Dean go!" John yelled. 

Dean hurried to do his father's bidding turning and running down the hall away from the flames and heat. The only thoughts in his frightened mind were to get outside as he was told. The cold air hit him in the face taking his breath away but that didn't stop him from making his way down the last barrier to the yard.

"It's ok Sammy." Dean told the whimpering baby whispering into his ear. 

The two brothers were suddenly jerked from the ground and into the arms of their father who ran from the burning house before a fireball exploded from the second floor sending flames and smoke skyward into the dark night sky. John shielded his boys from the blast and did his best not to stumble and send them all to the ground. He looked back over his shoulder toward the blown out windows as flames licked at the side of the house. Grief and sorrow cut deep into his soul as his one true love burned to ashes in their youngest son's bedroom. Sirens were heard in the distance as they drew closer to the house. 

John sat on the hood of his car clutching his kids in his arms while the fire department worked on putting out the fire. The young one whimpered and his brother looked shell shocked at all that was going on around him. He clung to the side of his father shivering slightly as the cold seeped through his thin pajamas. The boy knew something bad had happened and it was about his Momma. She had not come out of the house with Daddy and was not with them now. Deep sadness settled around the three and hung in the air like fog that would not go away. Dean wanted to ask about Momma, but couldn't form the words to make sense and get it out of his overloaded mind. He didn't know how much their lives were going to change and the trials and tribulations they were going to go through in the future. All he knew was his Momma wasn't going to hug him or kiss him or tell him he was such a big boy or tuck him in any more.

spn

Dean sat in the back with Sammy waiting for their father to come out of the house the Impala was parked in front of. He had been in there for over an hour and Dean was getting hungry. He had fed Sammy his bottle and changed his diaper like Daddy showed him. His eyes were drawn back to the house as the door opened and his father stepped outside along with a short, cocoa skin colored middle aged woman. She looked directly at him as if reading his very thoughts. He ducked back into the seat afraid to look to see if she was still watching. He jumped when John opened the driver's door and slid behind the wheel.

"Dean, Missouri said give this to you." John said holding a bag over the seat. 

Dean accepted the bag and looked inside to find two large cookies still warm from the oven. A huge smile broke out across his face and his eyes widened as he pulled one out and took a bite. The flavors exploded in his mouth and he chewed quickly and swallowed so he could take another bite. He looked toward the house and saw the woman still standing there staring his way as a small smile played across her lips.

"Don't choke yourself, here drink something." John fussed handing a half full bottle of water to him.

Dean opened the bottle and sipped on the water to wash the remaining cookie down. Crumbles fell from his mouth and decorated the front of his shirt. Carefully, he folded the bag closed and put the last cookie on the seat beside him deciding to save it for later.

The Impala cranked with a grumble and roar and John put the car in gear pulling away and heading back toward his friend's house. Mark and Jenna had offered their spare room to him and the boys until he decided what he was going to do. Mark and John were owners of a garage in town and had been friends since high school. They had been there over a week and John was learning the truth of what really killed his wife. He began to read lore, old tomes, anything he could get his hands on to help explain more of what he was learning.

"Dean, I'm going to be gone for a few days and Jenna and Mark are going to look after you and Sammy." John told his son. "I want you to take care of Sammy and mind them ok?"

Dean looked at the back of his Dad's head as a seed of fear crept into his mind. He had not been separated from him since the fire and wasn't looking forward to this one.

John sensed Dean's discomfort and looked at him in the mirror. "I'm counting on you to protect Sammy while I'm gone." He saw Dean nod his head but not look up; instead he looked over at Sammy who was still sleeping. Dean touched his hand letting him curl his fingers around one of his as he promised himself he would protect his brother.

spn

Six Weeks Later

"Dean you need to go with this nice woman, she's going to take care of you and Sammy." Jenna told him as she adjusted his jacket.

Dean looked distrustfully at the woman who was now holding Sammy in a car seat. He was not happy about that but couldn't stop her since he couldn't carry the car seat. 

"When your Dad gets back we'll let him know where you are." Mark told him. "I've tried calling him and can't get in touch with him." 

"They will be wards of the state until their father shows up and a hearing will be held to determine if he should get the children back." the social worker stated.

"Dean hasn't spoken since the fire and you need to keep them together." Jenna tried to explain as the social worker led Dean away. She settled the car seat in the back and strapped it down before turning to Dean and positioning the seat belt around him. Jenna looked on with concern wishing DSS would have let the boys stay with them, but they considered them abandoned by their father and had to go through the legal process.

spn

Dean looked at the cold, brick building and immediately didn't like this place he was being taken to. 

"Come on, no lagging we need to get you settled for the night." the woman told him. "You will be on the second floor and the baby will be in the nursery downstairs."

Dean jerked his hand out of hers and began shaking his head no and pulling at Sammy's car seat. He had to be with Sammy; it was his job to keep him safe but no one seemed to understand that. He had to do what their Daddy told him about watching out for Sammy no matter what any of these strangers said.

"Stop that and behave!" she scolded grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the front door.

Dean drug his feet grunting madly while trying to get away from her. He was led upstairs to the second floor and handed off to another person who showed him an empty bed on the ward with kids his age and a few years older and where the bathroom he would be using was. The woman led him downstairs to the dining area and showed him how to go through the line and get his food. Dean looked around at the other kids in the room as he took a seat at a table by himself. He looked down at his tray having no appetite at all. He wanted to see Sammy to be sure he was ok. He needed to be sure he ate and took his bottle and tucked him in. Sammy would be scared if he wasn't there. Dean ate a couple of bites of food and stuffed some cookies in his pocket as he devised a plan to get to Sammy. 

spn

No one paid any attention to the four year old that blended into the shadows as he started searching the lower level for the nursery and his Sammy. He started down a long hall and began to look into each room searching for him. He was starting to get frightened when he finally found a room filled with cribs and slipped inside. Dean started looking into the cribs and near the back he found Sammy. He let the side down and pulled Sammy until he was able to get him out of the crib. He carried him to a corner and sat there rocking him and whispered into his ear. Sammy gurgled and cooed at Dean happy to be in his brother's arms once again. He settled down content laying his head on Dean's chest to hear his heartbeat. It always calmed Sammy when he listened to the steady beat and could feel his brother's touch.

The staff found them an hour later asleep in the corner. Sammy was put back in the crib and Dean was taken back upstairs and put in his bed. He tried to resist but was too small to fight with the staff. He let them tuck him in and waited patiently for everything to get quiet and all the others to fall asleep. The room was dark, only lit by night lights as Dean got out of bed and quietly made his way to the door and into the hall. His bare feet made no sound as he snuck down the stairs and made a bee line for the nursery and Sammy's crib. He climbed into the crib snuggled down next to Sammy wrapping his arms around him and went to sleep.

The staff found him the next morning and returned him to his ward to shower and change clothes before breakfast. The kids were allowed outside to play on the equipment and run around to release some of the energy that all kids have. After lunch there was story time and lessons and a free time. Any chance Dean had, he found Sammy and played with him or tried to take care of him. 

spn

A different woman took Dean to an office and tried to talk to him about what happened to his mother and why he wasn't talking. Dean sat in a chair listening but not talking. 

"Dean, my name is Zoe I'm a counselor for social services. I hope you will talk to me about what has happened to you." Zoe started speaking gently and kindly to him. "I know this must be very hard on you losing your Mom and then your father disappearing."

Dean kept staring at his hands not bothering to look up as she talked. This was the first time anyone had really told him anything about his father, only that they couldn't reach him and the boys couldn't stay with Mark and Jenna any longer.

"I want to be your friend Dean; I want to help you get through this. I'm going to be seeing you once a week for a while. Maybe next time we can talk some, you can tell me about your brother Sam isn‘t it?" she questioned.

With the mention of Sammy, he looked up with veiled eyes trying to determine if she meant him any harm. He clenched his jaw but didn't respond to her. He drew himself up as small as he could to shy away from her when she tried to touch his arm. He didn’t like being touched by strangers after all that had happened.

"If you do want to talk before our next session, have one of the staff call me and I will come sooner. And Dean, it's ok to be sad. I'll see you next week." 

He ran from the room when she told him he could leave. He didn't want to talk about what happened that night; it was still too painful for him. All that was happening was hard for his small mind to digest and he needed time to think. Dean headed for the nursery in hunt of Sammy so he could check on him.

spn

The days turned into weeks and the weeks into a month and then another and still there was no word from their father. A missing persons report had been filed but nothing had turned up so far. Dean would take Sammy and sit in the bay window looking out at the parking lot watching for their father, waiting for him to come for them. It became a daily routine for the boys and the staff could set their watches by them. 

spn

Dean turned five and still had not spoken to anyone but to whisper to Sammy. The staff gave up trying to keep him away from his brother when all their attempts had failed. Not even locking him in the bedroom worked since he figured out how to get the vent open and crawl down it to another room so he could get to his brother. None of the staff had ever seen such devotion that Dean had for his little brother. Sammy was becoming a handful and seemed to only respond to Dean. He fussed when anyone else tried to feed him or change him. He would finally give in if Dean didn't show up and when he became too hungry. 

No one realized how closely Dean was listening to all that was said around him. He was a smart kid and caught on quickly with reading and his numbers thought he never read out loud to anyone. He would take the books with him and showed Sammy the pictures. Dean knew he needed to be able to read so he could survive outside these walls.

spn

Dean was passing one office when he heard the words Samuel Winchester and adoption. Dean froze and eased to the door to see if he could hear more but was disappointed that nothing else was said. His mind began to race as he tried to start working out a plan to get him and Sammy out of here. The problem was he didn't know when anything might happen. The biggest obstacle was going to be money and a way to carry Sammy. He knew he wouldn’t make it far trying to carry him in his arms. They had strollers for the kids and he was sure he could take one of those and he had to feed Sammy, but the biggest question was where would they go? There was so much rolling around in his head it began to hurt and made him feel sick. He pulled himself into the bay window and curled up in a corner not wanting any contact with anyone. He wanted his Daddy to come and get them and take them away from this place. A single tear trickled down his cheek as he looked out the window with such longing and sorrow for one so young.


	2. Chapter 2

The days past by slowly for Dean as he worked on his plan on getting them out of this place. The days turned into weeks and Dean was not any closer to being ready to carry out his plan. He watched Sammy closely afraid to let him out of his sight for fear he would be taken away. A month passed and he heard no further mention of Sammy by anyone. 

Sammy was growing fast and had started toddling around trying to walk. Dean was ecstatic with his progress and helped him learn to balance himself so he could move around easier. In less than two months he was going to be a year old and was winning the hearts of the staff that cared for him. They were going to be sad when he was adopted and taken away. All knew how close the brothers were and how devastating the older brother would be when this happened. From the gossip going around the office, it was going to be soon.

"Dean are you ready for our session?" Zoe asked cheerfully when she came to get him. She led him to the office she used and got comfortable while he sat on the couch. "How have you been doing?" 

She was starting to get little responses from Dean, but had yet to hear him speak. Dean shrugged his shoulders with disinterest looking down at his shoes as he waited patiently for the forty minutes to be up. Zoe was a person of patience. She never gave up on her children and Dean was a tough case, but she had confidence that she could get through to him.

"I've looked at some of your school work and I'm impressed at how quickly you are catching on to things. This is good Dean, you should be proud of yourself." she praised him. "I've been checking and maybe there might be a foster family that will take you." 

Dean jerked his head up as fear raced across his face with her words. He couldn't be taken away from Sammy, who would protect him? He began to shake his head adamantly no as he pushed his body back into the couch away from her. 

“Dean are you ok?”

“S’mmy.” he finally got out just loud enough for her to hear.

“Sammy, your brother? What if a nice family adopted him? Maybe you two could still be together, but if not wouldn’t you want him to go to a nice home and be taken care of?” 

Dean looked at her with such rage and anger before jumping from the couch and running from the room. He didn’t even hear Zoe calling to him as he ran for the nursery to see if Sammy was ok. Once he was at his crib, he pulled the side down to see Sammy curled up napping peacefully. 

“Dean, your brother just laid down for his nap don’t wake him.” a staffer whispered to him.

Dean looked up at her and nodded sliding down beside the crib to sit with his arms grasping his knees as tears wet his cheeks before he could stop them. What if they did put him in a foster home without Sammy? He would run away and come back for him and get him out of here he thought.

"Dean?" Zoe called softly to him as she knelt down in front of him.

Dean scooted back away from her as he quickly wiped his face on the sleeve of his shirt not wanting her to see his tears.

"I didn't mean to upset you I hope you know that. But Dean, you have to understand, you and your brother may be placed with a foster family. I hope it will be together, but there could be a chance it may be apart. Most families can't take two children when they foster."

Dean pressed his hands over his ears not wanting to hear what she was saying. He wished his Daddy would come back and take them away from this place. He listened as Zoe got up and walked away from him knowing she was not going to get through to him because he was too upset. He stayed by the crib until Sammy woke up from his nap so they could play together and have a snack with him. He wanted to spend as much time with Sammy as he could. He wanted to memorize every little feature on his face and the twinkling of his eyes when he looked at him with such love and the contagious laughter he had. Dean smiled at Sammy when he offered him part of his cookie wanting to share.

spn

The dim morning sunlight woke Dean to another day at the orphanage. He sat up in bed trying to bring back his dream. Something was poking into his mind but he couldn't latch onto it. Today seemed different than the other days, there was something not right in the air. Something was gone. Coldness crept into his small body as he got up and headed down the hall to the stairs without even changing out of his pajamas. He needed to see his brother.

Dean headed straight for Sammy crib only to find it empty except for Sammy's blanket. He grabbed the blanket before looking in the others for his brother. Dean headed to the dining room hoping he was being fed breakfast but he already knew deep down Sammy was gone.

"Dean honey." Zoe called to him. She had come in early today because she knew this was going to be hard on him. She didn't think the boys had been separated before. Zoe ran after Dean into the dining room finally catching him as he ran from table to table looking for his brother.

Dean felt a hand on his shoulder and jerked away from it as he continued looking around the room. The hand came back and he could hear someone talking to him but he couldn't focus on that, the only thing on his mind was finding his brother. 

"Come on Dean; let's go get you some clothes on and we'll talk." Zoe whispered to him as she steered him back toward the dorms.

Dean's shoulders slumped as he allowed her to guide him back to the bedroom and his bed. Instead of putting his clothes on, he crawled into his bed and curled up in a ball clutching Sammy's blanket tightly to his chest. He could still smell his scent on the blanket and blinked away the tears filling his eyes. A part of Dean's soul shattered and crumbled with the lose of his brother. There would forever be a void, cold and bottomless, that would never be filled since his brother was taken from him. Why couldn't they understand he needed to keep his brother safe, it was his job? A job that no one else could do. Soft sobs escaped his lips as he clenched them together trying to stop any sound from escaping. He couldn't stop the trembling in his body that was betraying him. He had no one left now, his mother was dead, his father was missing and now his baby brother had been taken too. Was it him? Was something wrong with him that everything he loved had been jerked from his life? His stomach rolled and twisted in knots as he swallowed the bile that rose in the back of his throat threatening to spew from his mouth. He closed his eyes and coughed hard trying not to show the emotions that was tearing him apart. 

"What say I check in on you later and see how you're doing?" Zoe told him placing a gentle hand on his back knowing she couldn't do or say anything to make him feel better. She hoped with a little time that he would accept his brother was better off with a good family and hopefully a foster family would take him in too. She had faith enough for both of them.

Dean rolled over and stared out the window across from his bed as he began to beat himself up for allowing his baby brother to be taken from him. The only thing his Daddy had told him before he left was to look after his brother. He couldn't even do that right and now he may never see him again. How would he be able to face his father again? He still had hope that his Dad would be coming to get them out of this place. Still seeing his little brother in his mind, Dean drifted into a light sleep.

spn

Days turned into weeks and weeks into months as Dean let the world around him pass by. Each day seemed like the one before, nothing changed and he moved through it like a ghost. He didn't talk, he didn't interact with the other kids, he didn't forget his brother that was taken from him and he didn't know how to get him back.

Dean didn't know what day it was, they all seemed the same to him and he walked through them in a fog. He was heading for the classroom when one of the staff stopped him.

"Dean, I have good news, we found a foster family to take you. They'll be picking you up in a couple of days." she informed him. "Isn't that great? Most your age have a hard time being placed."

Dean stared down at the floor not saying anything. He understood what she said, but showed no emotions about the news. 

"Go on now to class, someone will come and help you pack when everything is set." 

Dean trudged on down the hall toward the classroom trying to decide how he was going to handle this. He was not giving up on finding his brother; it just might take him a little longer. He knew he needed to be a little older so he could take care of himself around adults. He was determined to make his Daddy proud of him no matter how long it took. He made his little brother a promise that he would find him no matter where he was.

spn

Mr. and Mrs. Masters looked down at the sleeping child they had named Trevor. They had tried to have children, but it never happened and the doctors were saying she could never conceive. 

"He's so precious and looks just like a little angel." she told her husband.

"I know, I can't believe the adoption finally came through for us." 

"Have you noticed when we call him Trevor he doesn't respond?"

"He'll get use to it, he's still young." he told his wife.

"When I had him in the park it was strange, he would look at every boy that came by. He even tried to follow one."

"Maybe he's just being friendly. I'm sure he's ok. Have you seen how he watches when you read to him? It's like he's memorizing or learning the books. Have you noticed this too?"

"He's really very alert and smart. I've not seen such an intelligent child for his age. I bet he's going to be great in school."

“I can’t wait for him to start talking and running and playing ball, it still feels like a dream.”

“It’s a dream come true for us.” she whispered hugging her husband as they continued to watch Trevor sleep.

A/N: Thank you for deciding to read my story. Any comments are welcome. NC


	3. Chapter 3

"Come on Dean time to pack, your foster family is here." the staff said cheerfully while Dean sat on his bed looking into space. "Come on now, this is good, you should be happy. You are getting a new family."

The staff captured his hand and led him out of the bedroom and toward the offices on the first floor. He was led into an office and looked up to see a man and woman sitting on the couch. The man was short and slightly overweight, where the woman was slightly taller and thin, almost too thin. He could see his pouch of a stomach straining against his shirt and pants, almost like it was struggling to be released. Dean eyed the man with hooded eyes already having a bad feeling about this. There was something about him that made Dean's skin crawl. It was almost like he could see a darkness hovering around his soul that wouldn't let the light of his soul shine.

"Dean this is Mr. and Mrs. Bishop, they are going to be your foster family." she introduced them.

"Hello Dean." the woman smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes which were dull and lifeless. 

"Hello young man." the man said in a stern like voice. 

Dean stared at the couple but didn't answer them.

"He doesn't talk much after what has happened to him." she apologized. 

“That’s ok, I’m sure he’ll be talking in no time.” Mrs. Bishop stated accepting the pack from the staff.

“Let’s go, we need to get home.” Mr. Bishop told them. "Thank you." 

“Here are his school records so you can enroll him in school this fall and here are his next appointments with our counselor. We recommend he continue to see someone for a while longer. Of course this is of no cost to you.”

“Yeah, well good thing ‘cause we don’t have the money for that.” Mr. Bishop muttered as he steered Dean toward the door. “He’ll be just fine, he just needs some guidance.” 

spn

Dean sat shrunk in the corner of the back seat of the car as it made its way out of the city. The buildings began disappearing the further they drove into the country. Mr. Bishop finally turned off the road onto a gravel side road and drove another five miles before slowing so he could turn into a driveway. The car bounced down the rutted driveway for a quarter of a mile before pulling up to a farm house. 

The house was a little run down but not bad. The grass needed cutting, beds weeded, and paint was peeling in places on the house. Dean looked around as he opened the door and stepped out of the car. 

"Come on, get in the house." Mr. Bishop growled at him pushing him toward the steps to the porch. 

After stumbling and getting his feet back under him, Dean made his way up the steps toward the front door. He waited beside it as Mrs. Bishop unlocked the door for them and stepped in behind her. 

"I'll show you your room." she told him walking down the hall toward the back of the house. She didn't wait to see if he was following or not as she stopped in front of a room and opened the door. 

After a slight hesitation, Dean stepped into the room. He saw three cots spaced around the room and two dressers and not much of anything else. The room was dark and dank and not very child appealing. He went to one of the cots and sat down not knowing what else to do. 

spn

The first week with the Bishops was tense and unsettling for Dean. He noticed Mrs. Bishop rarely spoke unless spoken to and she was like a slave for her husband. Mr. Bishop berated her every chance he got ordering her around and attacking her emotionally. Dean noticed at meals that Mr. Bishop always got the most and best of the food and Mrs. Bishop had a small portion of it, but for him it was usually a couple of spoons of something that was just barely enough for him to survive on. He always went to bed hungry more nights than he wanted to count, wishing he could have more. He thought about trying to run away, but wasn't sure how far he could get before he was caught and brought back here. He tried to stay out of Mr. Bishop's way helping Mrs. Bishop where he could. 

spn

He had been with the Bishops for almost two weeks when things turned upside down. Betty was putting away the laundry and Dean was helping her fold his few meager clothes so they could be put away. He was sitting on the bed when Mr. Bishop's heavy body darkened the doorway.

"Don't get too comfortable there boy, there's some ground rules you need to learn and fast." he shot at him. "You've been slacking off long enough."

Dean looked up at the man with a hint of fear in his eyes, but squashed it determined not to let him see it. He now knew his feelings were right about this man, he was not a good one. Dean got to his feet unsure what to do next. 

"Betty go fix us some lunch." 

"Yes, Henry." she said meekly backing from the room and scurrying down the hall. 

"Let's go." Henry ordered Dean waiting for him go ahead of him. 

Without speaking, Dean followed Betty out of the room letting himself being steered toward a small kitchen with a dining room table and chairs sitting in the corner. 

"Go sit down." 

"I'll have lunch ready in a moment." Betty quipped busying herself in the kitchen. 

"Alright now Dean, I don't expect any trouble from you while you are here. You will address us as Mr. and Mrs. Bishop at all times. You will show us respect and do what you are told. There will be certain chores you will be expected to do to earn your keep and to eat. Food ain't cheap ya know."

"Here you go." Betty said sitting a plate in front of her husband. It was filled with an overloaded sandwich, chips and pickles that made Dean's mouth water as he looked at it. She went back to the counter and picked up two more plates, bringing them to the table and sitting one in front of Dean and one at an empty spot where she sat down. 

Her sandwich was two pieces of bread with a single slice of ham and a piece of lettuce on it, where Dean's sandwich was two pieces of bread with some peanut butter smeared on it. A glass of water was pushed in front of him as he stared down at the unappealing bread. 

"You better eat, that's all you're getting and you've got chores to do." he said picking up his sandwich and taking a big bite. He chewed sloppily slurping on a beer between bites. 

Much to his disgust, Dean picked up the stale bread and took a small bite chewing slowly trying to force the food down. He started to choke and sipped on the warm water to get the bite down. Betty kept her head down and nibbled at her sandwich trying to be invisible. 

spn

The three ate in silence until Henry pushed away from the table leaving his dirty dishes for his wife to clean up and towered over Dean.

"Get your ass up, you need to get started. Good thing school's out, you'll have all day to work." Henry told him pulling him from his seat and away from his half eaten sandwich. He pushed him into the garage and opened the door to reveal an old push mower that had seen better days. "I want the yard mowed front and back and no slacking off either if you expect to eat tonight." 

Dean looked at the old mower not sure how it really worked since he had never seen one before. 

"Are ya dumb too?" he questioned pushing the heavy mower outside and to the grass. "Now start pushing."

Not having any other choice, Dean gripped the handles and tried to push the machine across the grass. His small frame strained with the effort as he finally got the mower pushed a few feet. He continued to struggle with the mower but made the first sweep across the front yard. He paused at the edge and wiped the sweat out of his eyes and tried to catch his breath. Mrs. Bishop came out and handed him an old hat and long sleeved shirt.

"Here put these on so you won't get burnt by the sun." she offered a small smile on her face.

"Thanks." he mumbled slipping on the too big shirt and hat grateful for the shield from the sun.

"Get to it boy! This grass is not going to mow itself." he yelled at him as he shuffled to the porch and out of the hot sun to sit so he could watch him. "Get me another beer woman." he growled at his wife.

Taking a deep breath, Dean began to push the mower back across the yard making another sweep. The sun beat unmercifully down on him and he was soaked with sweat before he got back across to the other side. He looked over at the man who had settled in an old rocker fanning himself from the heat. If looks could kill, the man would be dead ten times over. He now knew these people didn't want to foster a kid, they wanted a slave to do the work. Well the man did and the woman was so timid and beat down she did whatever her husband said. Dean had heard him complaining about the check for being a foster family was late and he wanted her to check on it and did his disability check come in the mail. From what he could determine, neither one of them worked at real jobs. Somehow Mr. Bishop was on disability and got a monthly check and they used money paid to take care of foster kids for their own personal use, the kids not seeing any of it. Foster kids were dollar signs for Mr. Bishop and that was all they were. 

spn

His vision was beginning to blur as his overheated body stumbled behind the mower almost ready to pass out from the heat. He looked toward the porch and saw the man was slumped sideways, snoring loudly. Dean made his way over to a garden hose and turned the water on so he could drink some water and cool his body off. He let the water run over his head and down his body giving him some relief.

"What the hell are you doing? Did I tell you to stop?" the man screamed at Dean madly as he stumbled off the porch slightly drunk from the beers. "You bastards don't ever listen to the rules, gotta keep ya in line."

Before Dean could move, a leather belt swished through the air to land unmercifully on his back almost knocking him to the ground. Dean grunted again as the belt fell again causing tears to fill his eyes. He tried to stumble back to the mower only to have another strike hit him across the back making him bite his lower lip bringing blood that tasted warm and coppery to his taste buds. He made it to the mower and used it to hold himself up. Mr. Bishop was heaving and panting as he looped the belt back into his pants before speaking.

"Now get back to work, you still got the back yard to do before you're finished today you worthless piece of shit." 

After making the last two final sweeps of the front yard, Dean pushed the mower toward the back wincing from the stinging of his back. It felt like streaks of fire running down his back as he taught himself to bear the pain without making a sound. He knew it would probably only make things worse on him if he cried out or asked him to stop.

spn

"Henry I brought you some iced tea." Betty said holding out a glass. "I got Dean some water; don't want him passing out before he's done." 

"I guess, just make it snappy." he sneered at her.

Betty hurried over to Dean and handed him a glass of water with ice in it. Dean gratefully accepted the glass gulping it down feeling the cold hit his stomach and making him clench in pain. He stood there for a few minutes letting his stomach settle before handing her back the glass and giving her a grateful nod.

"I'm sorry." she whispered where only Dean could hear. "Just don't make him madder." 

"That's enough of a break, don't you have some cleaning to do?" he called to his wife who cringed and took the glass heading back into the house. 

Dean stared at the overweight man in disgust wondering how someone could treat another person so badly. He didn't know what happened in his life to make him this way. It was all Dean could do to put one foot in front of the other and push the mower across the back yard. He could feel the sun's hot rays beating down on him causing sweat to drip down his face and coat his body. Drops ran into his eyes making them sting as he brushed a sleeve over it to stem the flow for the moment. The only good thing was the back yard was mostly in the shade so the sun wasn't beating down on him. His tee shirt clung to his sweat soaked body when he finally finished the last round and pushed the mower to the garage. 

"Alright get in the house and clean up, don't want your stink ruining my appetite tonight." he ordered Dean who moved as fast as he could toward the back door. 

spn

Dean headed down the hall to the bedroom to get some clean clothes before making his way to the bathroom. He winced in pain as he pulled his tee shirt off and tried to see his injured back. Three long, red welts marred his tender skin, but at least the skin wasn't broken and bleeding. He turned on the water, adjusted the temperature and stepped in cringing as the spray hit his back. 

"Dean, I brought you some lotion for your back." Mrs. Bishop told him laying a tube of lotion on the counter before leaving. 

He peeked out and saw she was gone and had left the lotion. He would try to thank her when her husband wasn't around. He stood in the warm spray letting the water wash the dirt and grim from his body. He arms ached so bad he could hardly use them to wash himself. After drying off, he slipped on some briefs and pants and picked up the lotion to apply. With a little stretching, he got some of the lotion on part his sore back before putting on a shirt and heading back to the bedroom to wait for dinner. He tried to stay out of Mr. Bishop's way as much as possible not wanting to anger him and get another beating.


	4. Chapter 4

Warning: This chapter has abuse, death and strong language.

 

Life for Dean did not get any better. Mr. Bishop worked him so hard there were days his hands bled and he could hardly feed himself what little food he was given. Mrs. Bishop tried to sneak what she could to Dean when she could. This at least kept Dean from starving to death. She did her best to doctor his injuries since her husband refused to allow Dean to leave the house. She had had to cancel his counseling sessions lying to DSS about Dean being sick and she would call to reschedule. Mr. Bishop beat Dean over and over, but never enough to break bones and warrant medical attention. 

After a month of abuse, Mr. Bishop locked him in a room in the basement while they went to town. Dean searched for a way out, but was unsuccessful in his attempts. He huddled in a corner listening to the shifting and creaking of the house around him making him feel uneasy. He didn't know why they didn't take him alone and wondered how long they would be gone. The darkness pressed in on him and the cold seeped into his bones making him shiver. He closed his eyes and tried to picture his baby brother in his mind. Was he going to die down here and never get the chance to find his brother like he promised? A soft sob escaped his lips and he curled up in the corner letting his emotions out for the first time since he had come there. Dean squeezed his eyes tight letting the tears flow unhindered down his cheeks. Dean finally captured his Sammy in his mind and held on using it to make him stronger as that little face smiled at him with such love. He could almost hear the words; I love you, as his image began to fade from him. Sammy reached out to him and Dean could feel the touch on his soul as Sammy disappeared.

spn

Doors could be heard slamming upstairs that made Dean jerk his head upward in hopes he would be let out soon. He needed to use the bathroom really bad and didn't want to wet his pants. Finally, heavy footsteps could be heard coming down the steps and the rattle of the key in a lock before the door was opened allowing light to filter in. 

"Come on, get out of there." Mr. Bishop ordered Dean.

After getting his legs to cooperate, Dean pushed himself up and stumbled from the room toward the steps. He made his way up the steps and into the kitchen making a beeline for the bathroom. After relieving himself, he headed back to the kitchen and stopped short when he saw a boy sitting at the table. He looked to be about his age but smaller in statue than Dean. 

"Dean this is Billy, he's going to be staying with us." Betty said glancing at her husband timidly. 

Billy looked at Dean with scared eyes as he looked from Mr. and Mrs. Bishop.

"Show him your room." Mr. Bishop told Dean.

Dean looked to the boy and motioned him to follow him down the hall. He walked into the bedroom and sat on his bed letting Billy decide on one of the other two empty beds. Billy eased over to the bed beside Dean's and sat on it.

"Hi." he said softly to Dean. 

Dean looked over at him and half smiled. He wanted to say something to Billy, to warn him about Mr. Bishop, but he had not talked in so long he wasn't sure he could. Dean coughed and cleared his throat before finally getting out in a hoarse, gravely whisper.

"Don't...make..." he started swallowing hard before continuing. "Him...mad." he finished giving him a pained look as his throat tightened up from not being used.

"Ok." Billy whispered back coming to sit down beside Dean on his bed wanting to feel some comfort from Dean. Dean laid a hand on his knowing the boy was scared. They both looked up quickly when a male voice yelled down the hall. 

"Get out here, there's weeding that needs to be done." 

Dean got up and motioned for Billy to follow as he headed for the back door. Once outside, Dean walked over to a small garden that was planted at the back of the house. He showed Billy how to pull the weeds and put them in a bucket to be dumped later. They worked their way down each row clearing out the weeds from around the vegetables plants. It wasn't long before both their backs were aching with the continued stooping and crawling down the rows.

"I'm thirsty Dean." Billy told him as they finished another row.

Dean shook his head no and began to work his way down the next row. He looked up when Mrs. Bishop came out with two glasses of water and came over to them. 

"Here, quick drink this." she said glancing back toward the house to be sure her husband didn't see her. 

Both boys greedily guzzled the water before handing her back the glasses. She smiled sadly at them and hurried back into the house hiding the glasses in her apron pockets. Dean and Billy went back to weeding the last of the garden. Mr. Bishop brought out a basket and told them to pick what was ripe out of the garden. They found some tomatoes, beans, cucumbers and squash ready to pick and filled the basket. Dean pulled a few small tomatoes and popped one in his mouth and gave one to Billy. He ate a few raw beans showing Billy how to pick the tender ones to eat. He figured at least they could get a little food out of this chore. Dean kept looking toward the house to be sure they were not being watched while they finished picking the rest of the ripe vegetables. They carried the basket into the kitchen and sat it up on the table.

“Thank you boys.” Mrs. Bishop told them laying a hand on each of their shoulders. “Go on and get a bath before dinner, Dean will you show Billy where everything is?”

Dean nodded to her and headed toward the bedroom to get clean clothes. Billy followed suit and then followed Dean to the bathroom. Dean showed him where the towels were before turning on the water, getting the temperature right and motioned for him to shower first. He turned to allow him some privacy as he slipped out of his dirty clothes and climbed into the tub.

“Ok Dean, I’m done.” Billy told him as he wrapped a towel around him and moved so Dean could shower. 

Dean quickly undressed and climbed into the shower, but not before Billy saw the welts and scars on his back. Sometimes Mr. Bishop used the buckle end of the belt cutting his skin in long scratches that left thin pink scars across his back. He drew in a sharp breathe and turned away not wanting to embarrass him. While Dean was in the shower, Billy got dressed and went to wait in their bedroom for Dean to finish.

spn

The next month pasted by too slowly with both boys trying to stay out of Mr. Bishop's way and trying not to do anything to make him mad. It was worse when he began drinking; this usually ended with a beating to one or both of the boys. Dean did his best to shield Billy even putting himself in harms way and taking the beating. Billy cried as he tried to put medicine on Dean’s back trying to ease his pain. Betty had snuck the ointment to them when Henry wasn’t paying attention. 

“I’m sorry Dean.” Billy cried silently. “I didn’t mean to spill the drink.”

“I know, its ok.” Dean grimaced in pain as he tried to move a shoulder. 

“You shouldn’t of got in his way.”

“It’s ok, try to get some sleep.”

Dean lay on his stomach in their hot room wishing for any type of breeze to stir the stifling air in there. There was a small ceiling fan that didn't help much but move the hot air around them. There was a window a/c unit in the living room and one in the Bishop's bedroom, but the rest of the house was like an oven. Sweat trickled down both the boy’s faces as they tried to sleep.

spn

The air had a hint of coolness moving through it the morning Henry went crazy. Dean knew something was off with him for the past week but didn’t know what. He kept Billy and him away from Henry as much as he could, but that day he didn’t succeed. Henry had been drinking beer and switched over to whiskey when it ran out. Dean and Billy were bringing in the last of the garden stuff when he stumbled into the room and glared at the boys.

“Look at that mess you two made!” he yelled at them. “What have I told yer ‘bout takin’ yer damn shoes off before coming inside? Don’t you shits listen to what I tell you? Are you that stupid?” his voice rose with each question until he was screaming. "You bastards are not good for anything, no wonder no one else wanted either of you."

Billy was cowering behind Dean as Henry stumbled closer to the frightened boys. He could smell the liquor wafting off the man and knew they were in trouble. He kept himself between Billy and Henry in hope he could spare the boy any more pain as he tried to inch them back toward the door.

“You know what you get when you don’t follow the rules? You disrespect me like this? I’ll show you who’s boss.” he hissed through clenched teeth before grabbing each boy by the arm and dragging them toward the basement. He threw the door open and stomped down the steps jerking them along beside him.   
Billy cried out in pain and fright as he tried to get his arm free.

“Shut yer whining yer little baby, both of you are useless.” Henry growled throwing him down the last several steps to land in a heap at the bottom. He jerked Dean around and threw him into the railing smiling evilly when bone could be heard breaking in his arm. Dean couldn’t help the groan that escaped his lips, nor the tears that filled his eyes. “Get up yer whiney shit!” he yelled kicking Billy hard in the ribs several times before grabbing a foot and dragging him toward the room in the corner. Without a second thought, he tossed them in the room like throwing away trash and slammed the door shut locking it. Dean slammed into the wall almost passing out from the pain as his arm hit the wall. He felt his lip split and a warm trail of blood drip down his chin.

spn

"Trevor darling what's wrong?" Emily asked Trevor who was laying on the floor screaming as if in pain. She tried to look over his body but didn't see any injuries or wounds that would make the child wail. She grabbed her cell to call her husband as she gathered Trevor in her arms to take him to the hospital. 

"Hi Hon." her husband answered.

"Josh something's wrong with Trevor. I'm taking him to the emergency room." she rushed grabbing up her purse and running for the door. "Hang on baby." she whispered to him trying to get his flaying body into the booster seat.

"I'll meet you there Emily." Joshua called to her before hanging up and rushing from his office.

spn

Emily drove as fast as she dared toward the hospital. She skidded into the parking lot and parked at the door throwing her keys to an attendant before getting Trevor from the back. 

"Please something's wrong with my son." she begged running in as Sam screamed one final time before becoming quiet in her arms.

"Bring him in here." a nurse instructed leading her to another room with rows of small exam rooms lining the wall. Emily sat Trevor on the bed and pulled the blanket from his trembling body. 

“My name is Helen and what’s this little man’s name?” 

“Trevor and I‘m Emily Masters his mom, I don’t know what happened he was fine and suddenly he fell to the floor screaming.” Emily explained.

“Hi Trevor, I’m Helen can I listen to your heart?” she asked kindly showing him her stethoscope. She watched Trevor focus his pain filled eyes on her before nodding yes. “Can you take a deep breathe? That’s great, you’re such a smart boy. This is a blood pressure cuff, it goes around your arm and this machine pumps it up so we get your blood pressure.” she continued pulling the small cuff up his arm. “It’s going to get tight, but it won’t hurt.”

Trevor watched the cuff on his arm start to pump up and then it quickly began to deflate. He hiccupped and sniffed and watched her every move as she typed into a computer. 

“Ms. Masters how old is Trevor?”

“Three.”

“Has he ever had anything like this happen before?”

“No, never.”

“Trevor can you tell me what happened?”

“Hurt, fall.” Trevor whispered already feeling the connection leaving him. “Home.”

“We will honey, they just have to check you out.” 

“Do you hurt now?”

“No, gone.”

“Well that’s good, now lay back here and let me look at your tummy. I want you to tell me if this hurts.” she told him lifting his shirt to press on his stomach.” 

“Potty Momma.” he said looking over at her.

“Here let me get a cup for a urine sample.” Helen told her opening a cabinet for the cup. “You can use the one right across the hall there.”

“Thank you.” Emily said. “My husband is on his way if he can come back when he gets here.”

“I’ll let the front desk know.” 

“Come on sweetie, it’s right across the hall.” Emily told her son.

spn

Dean held his broken arm to his chest as he tried to move closer to Billy. He had not moved since they were thrown in the room and this frightened him. He slid over to a crack and pulled out a candle and lighter. Betty had snuck them down here for him to use when he was locked in here. He held the candle between his knees and lit the lighter to light the candle. After dripping some wax on the floor, he positioned the candle in it and waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Once he was able to see, Dean rolled Billy toward him trying to see how bad he was injured. Blood was dripping out of his mouth and nose and blood was pooling below his leg from a compound fracture. He could see the bone sticking out of the skin and swallowed hard trying not to be sick. This was bad, real bad, and he had nothing to use for bandages.

“Billy.” Dean croaked out trying to feel his heart beating. He wasn’t sure exactly how to do this but tried anyway. Not having any luck, he leaned over and put his ear to Billy’s chest listening for the beat. It was faint, but he did hear one and he barely felt his chest rise and fall. Not knowing what to do for him, Dean sat back against wall with Billy's head in his lap waiting for the bastard to come back and let them out. But he had a sinking feeling they might not be leaving the room this time. Henry had never hurt them like this before where they would need medical attention. He was sure they wouldn't be taken to any hospital for treatment. 

"Dee...h'rts." Billy whispered before he lapsed into unconsciousness again. 

"I'm here." Dean told him taking one of Billy's hands in his good one and holding it tight. He watched Billy wishing there was something he could do for him. Time had no meaning to either boy as it ticked away draining their strength with each second.

"D'n cold." Billy whispered as he fluttered awake for a few seconds before falling back into the darkness. 

"I know Billy." he croaked sliding as close as he could to share their body heat. He could feel the coldness of the floor creeping into his bones as he shivered uncontrollably. Billy's body was getting colder and he pulled him up on him as best he could. He began to hum the song his Mom sang to him when he was little hoping to give Billy a little comfort.

Dean’s tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as he tried to swallow to wet his dry throat. He didn’t know how long they had been down there, but this seemed like the longest time. He had crawled into another corner and relieved himself when he couldn't hold it any longer. He was becoming very weak and could barely stay conscious as he laid Billy's head in his lap and brushed his hair from his face. He had used the candle sparingly, mainly to check on Billy. Dean didn't feel Billy's spirit leave his body as he breathed his last breath. He slowly slipped sideways to the floor, the last clear thought he had was of a three year old running toward him calling out his name, telling him to stay and play.

spn

“Henry, shouldn’t we check on the boys? It’s been two days since you put them down there.” Betty questioned cautiously. She had tried to check on the boys, but Henry had locked the door and had the key.

“Are you telling me what to do now woman?” he sneered at her making her cringe. He was nursing a major hangover that had him meaner than usual. “Now get off yer ass and get the laundry hung out ‘fore I give yer another black eye.”

Betty shrunk in on herself and scurried off to the laundry room to do as she was told. She never noticed the car that pulled up in front of the house or the woman that got out. 

spn

Zoe looked around as she got out of the car and slowly walked toward the front door. She knocked on the door and waited for it to be answered. She could hear shuffling from inside and finally the door was opened by an overweight, sour looking man.

“Yeah?” he grunted. “If yer selling somethin’, I ain’t buying.”

“Mr. Bishop, I’m Zoe Chambers, I’m a counselor with DSS. I came to see Dean Winchester, the boy you are fostering?”

“He ain’t here, gone to town with my wife.” he informed her before closing the door in her face, but not before she got a good whiff of alcohol permeating off him. 

Zoe stepped back frowning and not liking what she was seeing. She pulled her phone from her bag as she walked back toward her car. Movement from between the corner of the house and the garage caught her eye. She walked between the two structures and saw a woman hanging up sheets. 

“Mrs. Bishop?” Zoe called to her as she walked closer. 

“Yes?” the woman asked turning to see the stranger approach. Betty turned her face quickly away so she wouldn’t see the bruises on her face. 

“I came to see Dean Winchester, where is he?”

“Did you talk to my husband?” 

“I did and I’m calling the police.” she said punching in 911 to her phone. “Yes I’m with DSS and I need the sheriff’s department to assist me at the Bishop resident at 783 Little Hollow Road outside of town. It’s a missing child case, possible abuse...” she trailed off as then saw Mrs. Bishop’s face. “And spousal abuse. Yes, thank you.” 

“No, no Henry will be really mad.” Betty franticly told her as fear raced across her face when she reached out to grab Zoe’s arm.

“What are yer doin’ talkin’ to my wife?” a slurry male voice interrupted them. “Get the hell off my property ‘fore something happens to yer.” he shouted at Zoe as he closed the space between them. Before he could touch her, Zoe pulled out pepper spray and drenched his face with it causing him to scream in pain and fall to the ground clutching his face. Zoe looked around for a weapon and ran to a small pile of two by fours, picking up one the length of a baseball bat and swung it down hitting him on the head hard enough to knock him out.

“Do you have some rope or duct tape to tie him up?” 

Betty looked down at her husband in shock, afraid to move.

“Mrs. Bishop! Do you have something to tie him up with?” Zoe asked again more forcibly.

“Y-Ye-Yes.” she stammered stumbling toward the back door of the house. She came back with some duct tape and held it out to her. Zoe took it and pulled Mr. Bishop’s arms behind him and began to wrap the tape around his wrist half a dozen times. She made sure he couldn’t get loose before getting back up to face his wife.

“Where’s Dean Mrs. Bishop?” 

“Basement.” she whispered. "But it's locked."

"Where's the key?"

"In his pocket." she whimpered rubbing her hands together trying to control her trembling body while she watched the woman trying to go through her husband’s pockets looking for the keys. 

Mr. Bishop was heavy and it took a lot of effort for Zoe to get him on his back to search his pockets. She finally found a set of keys and ripped them out of his pocket before standing back up. Zoe ran for the house and into the kitchen looking for a door to the basement. 

A/N: Help has finally arrived for Dean. The light will be getting brighter for a time until darkness falls again. Thank you to all who are taking the time to read my story. Comments are appreciated.

NC


	5. Chapter 5

Zoe spotted a door in the corner and began trying keys until one fit. She wrenched it open to hurry down the steps trying to be careful and not fall and wondering what she would find down there. Her stomach clenched with the thoughts that she might be too late. She saw a string hanging from a fixture and pulled it invading the basement with a harsh florescent light.

“Dean?” she called looking around at the junk piled around the open room. She walked around boxes and old furniture searching for the boy. Zoe saw another door with a lock on it and looked around for something to break the lock off. Finding a crow bar, she shoved it under the bracket and pried it open. “Dean.” she called again stepping into the room. She finally saw two bodies on the floor and rushed over to them. “Oh my God!” she cried leaning down to pick Dean’s limp body up and carry him out of the basement. Zoe made her way out of the house just as the sheriff’s department pulled up. Two officers got out and hurried toward her when they saw the lifeless body she was carrying.

“There’s another boy down in the basement, please, you gotta help him.” she begged as she laid Dean down on the grass and began to check him over. She saw the swelling and purplish bruises where his arm was broken, the split lip and numerous other bruises riddled over his body. He was breathing shallowly and his heart rate was weak and thready. “He needs to be taken to the hospital.” she told the deputies as they brought the other boy out. “How is he?”

“Sorry ma'am, he didn’t make it.” the deputy told her with a shake of his head laying him on the grass and using his coat to cover the small broken body. "The ambulance is fifteen minutes out."

“I’m taking Dean to the hospital. That man needs to be arrested for child abuse, murder and spousal abuse and attempted assault on a state employee.” she told them before putting Dean in the passenger seat of her car and getting in. She took an open bottle of water and let a little trickle into Dean's mouth being careful not to choke him. Most of it ran back out, but a small amount trickled down his throat. She made sure he was breathing ok before cranking the car. “I’ll be at the emergency room if you want to take my statement. I’ll be staying with him until he gains consciousness. Have EMT check out the wife, it looks like she's been roughed up too.” 

“Yes ma’am, someone will be over to talk with you.” the officer replied and headed to the side of the house.

Zoe drove away from the house as fast as she could. She kept looking over at Dean to be sure his chest was still rising and falling. “Please hang in there Dean, please.” she begged. "Oh sweetie I'm sorry this happened to you, I didn't know." she whispered as she pressed harder on the gas. She was not going to lose this child she told herself with a strong determination. She shook her head wondering how these people were ever allowed to foster children. 

spn

The first thing Dean felt was pain as the fog began to clear in his mind. He tried to move but a gentle hand stopped him and a soft voice spoke to him. 

"Take it easy Dean, you're in a hospital." Zoe told him when she saw him starting to come to. 

Dean slit his eyes open and squinted at the light until she turned part of them off. With the lights off, Dean blinked several times trying to focus his eyes on Zoe. He licked his dry lips and tried to speak but could only get a croak out.

"Wait, let me get you some water." she said reaching for a cup by the bed. She held the straw to Dean's lips and let him take several sips of water.

Dean sucked greedily on the straw feeling the wetness invade his mouth and ease his parched throat. He felt every ache and pain throughout his small body. Zoe pulled the straw away before he over did it and brushed the hair from his face.

"You have to go slow Dean; don't want you to get sick."

He swallowed again and was able to finally get out, "Billy?" he asked hoarsely looking at her waiting for a response.

Zoe looked down before looking back up into Dean's pain filled face when he realized what she wasn't telling him. Billy hadn't made it; he wasn't able to protect him, just like he couldn't protect his little brother. Tears filled his eyes and ran down his face as he turned his head from her. 

"I'm sorry Dean, there was nothing you could of done, he had internal bleeding and lost a lot of blood from a compound fracture of his leg." she told him. "I'm going to let the nurses know you're awake." she said squeezing his good hand before getting up to leave. 

spn

Each breath came harder as Dean tried to suck air into his lungs around the sobs that were the only noise in the silent room. He went to wipe his face with his left hand only to realize it was in a cast. Being careful with his right hand that had an IV in it, he wiped the flow of tears from his face only to have them replaced with new ones. His heart broke when he heard Billy had died in that dark room and he couldn't help him. Guilt ate at him as he saw Billy's face in his mind. He was so innocent and didn't deserve the brutality that was rained down on him. Neither of them did, it wasn't fair; he had lost another person from his life. How many more were going to be lost to him before it broke him completely? 

"Dean are you ok?" a nurse asked him when she came in and saw his distress. "Its ok sweetie, try to slow your breathing for me. Nice and slow, in and out, that's it, in and out." she encouraged him.

"What's wrong?" Zoe asked stopping beside Dean's bed. 

"He's having a panic attack, I'm going to get a sedative, try to keep him calm." she told Zoe before heading out of the room.

"Hey Dean look at me. I'm so sorry this happened to you, if I had known..." she started not knowing exactly what to say to the small boy that the system had failed. She took his hand and brushed his hair from his face wishing she could take the hurt from him. Zoe couldn't believe an adult could be so cruel to a small child, actually two children, to beat, starve and mistreat them. The doctor had told her about the scars on his back and that he was malnourished from not eating right and he was dehydrated from not being given water for nearly three days. The doctors were going to keep him in the hospital until he was able to eat solid foods again. He would have the IV feeding him nutrients and fluids until his body was re-hydrated. They would not know if he would have any permanent damage until he got better. His body hopefully would heal, but Zoe didn't know if his soul would ever recover from this. She knew the adoption of his younger brother had devastated him and now to have this happen was life crushing.

spn

Dean looked up the steps at the building he had been brought to so long ago. He trudged up them and waited for Zoe to open the front door so they could go in. 

“How are you feeling Dean?” she asked as she led him back toward the bedrooms.

“Fine.” he mumbled quietly glad to be out of the hospital.

“After you get settled and have lunch, I’m going to find you and we’ll have a talk. Is that ok?”

He didn’t answer just shook his head yes when she stopped at a different room waiting for him to go inside. Dean looked around the room and saw the empty bed to the right. With only a slight hesitation, Dean went to the bed and laid his pack on it so he could unpack what few items of clothing he had, all which were too small now, on the bed before opening the drawers and putting the things away. Once they were put away, he headed for the cafeteria to eat. 

Nothing had changed since he had been gone; he got his tray and walked down the line allowing food to be put on his tray. Spying an empty table over in the corner, he made his way toward it not looking at any of the other kids already eating. Several recognized him from before but didn’t speak. Dean kept his eyes downcast looking at his food as he slowly began to eat. He had not idea what he was eating since nothing had a taste to him. Dean only knew that he needed to eat to get stronger because his one thought was to find Sammy. That was the only goal he could see in life, he would never forget his baby brother and he would die trying to reunite them if he had to.

spn

“Dean what you went through these past few months was horrendous I know and I wish I could of known that would happen and stopped it.” Zoe told him looking across at him sitting on the couch. “No child should have to go through what you did.” she paused waiting to see if Dean would say anything but he didn’t even look up. “The other boy with you, I‘m sorry for what happened to him too.”

“Billy.” he said barely loud enough for her to hear.

“What Dean?”

“His name was Billy.” he said a little louder.

“Yes, Billy, he was a year younger than you. He was your friend.”

“Yes, I should of saved him.”

“Oh Dean, there was nothing you could of done. When Billy was thrown down the stairs and kicked, he developed internal bleeding and with the compound fracture, he didn’t stand a chance without immediate medical attention. But you were there for him, he wasn’t alone and I think he knew that. You gave him comfort.” 

“Mr. Bishop?” 

“Don’t you worry about him; he will be going away for a long time and will never hurt another child again.” 

“Good.” he said wiping a stray tear from his cheek trying not to cry in front of her.

“Dean it’s ok to cry for your friend. You were very brave trying to protect him like you did.” she said moving to sit by him on the couch. She started to put a hand on his shoulder until she saw him cringe away from her and put it back down. Zoe could understand his fear of not wanting to be touched and didn’t try again. She would let him make the first contact when he decided he wanted to.

Dean let the silent tears slide from his eyes and drip to his lap. He could see Billy’s face in his mind and the trust that reflected from his eyes. He was depending on Dean to take care of him and he had let him down.

“I’m glad you have finally started talking again, that’s a big step. I’m proud of you. Please Dean, don’t let this foster family turn you against all families, there are good ones out there and I hope one will see what a special boy you are and want to give you a good home. I think that will be all today, I’ll see you again in a couple of days if that’s ok with you.”

“Ok.” he nodded getting up from the couch to shuffle out of the office. He headed for the classroom to start his studies again.

Zoe’s heart broke as she watched the small boy walk slowly down the hall toward the classroom wishing she could take away all the memories of hurt and pain he had endured. She was not giving up on him and hoped she could find a good foster home for him. He deserved to have some happiness in his life that had been filled with so much loss and pain and misery. She had called the police department to follow up again on the father that had disappeared years ago, but it had been shuffled down to cold cases since there had been on new leads in several years. She still couldn't understand how a parent could leave their children like this unless something had happened to him and he was either dead or for some reason he couldn't get back to his kids. She marked her calendar when Dean was supposed to get the cast off his arm wanting to be sure to go with him. She was going to be sure to be there for him from now on even if it meant using her personal time too. With a deep sigh, she slipped his chart back into her desk drawer and continued with her work load for the day.


	6. Chapter 6

January 24 came and went and Dean turned eight. Zoe brought him a cupcake with a candle and a new book. He thanked her for the gifts and put the book in his dresser in the bedroom. He headed on to class to begin his studies for the day. The weather outside was cold and windy shaking the building with some of the blustering gales. Snow was in the forecast and the skies looked like it was release its burden at any time.

The building was cooler than usual and Dean pulled a long sleeved shirt tighter around his body. It was hard to heat the older building when the days were really cold and the wind beat against the sides of the structure. It had snowed during the night coating everything in a white blanket. The staff would not let the kids go out when the weather was bad in hopes of keeping illness at bay. The older kids were given a free time to do what they wanted. Some played with toys, others read books, some colored or painted and a few decided to take a nap. Dean took a book and settled into a corner away from the others and began to read. His eyes grew heavy as the words began to swim together before he gave into the darkness of sleep. 

Dean looked around trying to figure out where he was. He was outside and it was a calm, clear day, not anything like what he saw this morning when he looked out at the snow. Laughter got his attention when a young shaggy, brown headed boy came running toward him. As he got closer, Dean knew deep down that this was his brother. Sammy would be four now and this kid looked that age. The boy came to a stop about six feet from him and grinned at him happily. 

"Dee." he said softly his hazel eyes filling with love and joy. 

Dean reached out a hand to him, but the image quickly vanished when screaming woke him. He looked up to see what the problem was and saw two younger kids fighting over a toy. He leaned back against the wall and tried to understand the vision he just had. When he saw the boy's eyes, there was no doubt that this was his little brother, but how he could see him so clearly and the right age befuddled him. At least he looked happy and not scared or hurt. 

"I'll find you Sammy, I never forgot you." Dean whispered making himself a promise that he would be reunited with his brother one day. A tiny seed began to grow in the corner of his mind as he wondered would Sammy even remember him. 

spn

"Hi Trevor did you have a good nap?" the woman as the small boy. 

Trevor rubbed his eyes and looked at the woman who he called Momma before answering. 

"Can I have some juice?" he asked knowing for some reason he shouldn't tell her about the boy he saw in his dream. He knew he should know him, but wasn't sure who he was. He wanted to call him Dee, but he wasn't sure if that was his name. 

This wasn't the first time Trevor had dreamed of this boy with the piercing green eyes. He stored this information away to mull over when he was alone. He followed the woman to the kitchen and took a seat at the table. A newspaper was lying on the table and Trevor picked it up and began to read the headlines on the front page. 

"Here you go sweetie." she said placing a juice box in front of him. "What are you doing looking at the pictures?"

"No, I'm reading the articles on the front page." he informed her. “Thank you.”

She looked at him in surprise with this response. Her husband had told her that he found him reading the paper the other morning and she figured he was just looking at the pictures. They knew that Trevor/Sam was smart and well advanced for his age. He was like a sponge absorbing everything he could. They had adopted their son when he was a year old and changed his name to Trevor. Even after three years, there would be times he wouldn’t answer to that name. She wanted to enroll him in preschool, but they were talking about putting him in a gifted program when he tested well above his age level. Her husband thought he would get bored since he seemed to know what would be taught. She didn’t want to push him too hard and cause him to miss out on his childhood. 

“Your Dad will be home in an hour and we’re going out for dinner tonight.”

“Ok.” he said turning the page of the paper to continue his reading. 

“Trevor do you understand what you’re reading?”

“Yes, there was a bad wreck on the interstate because of the snow and ice and the school board is having a meeting to discuss new elementary school project.”

“You amaze me Trev; you are so smart for your age.” 

“Can we go the library tomorrow; I want to check out a couple of books.” 

“Yes, I have a couple of errands to run so we can stop by on the way home.” she replied still shocked at how well he communicated with them. 

“Good.” 

spn

“You were right, he was reading the paper this afternoon and I asked him what he was reading and he told me.” 

“I told you Em, he is scary smart.” Josh answered as he pulled his tie off and placed it on a rack in his closet.

“I’m going by to pick up some information on that school we found tomorrow.”

“Good, Trevor deserves the best and if we can give that to him we should.”

“How was work today?’

“Not bad, got a new client today who’s a big catch.” 

“Do you think we can take Trevor to the museum this weekend? It would do us all good to get out and enjoy some culture.”

“I think I can swing that.” Josh said kissing his wife before heading for the bathroom. “Why don‘t we make a day of it and maybe catch a movie, that is if they have one his age to see?”

“That sounds good. I’ll check online and see what‘s playing or if there‘s something else we can enjoy.” she said slipping into bed getting comfortable. The older Trevor got, the more an inkling of fear crept into her mind. He was a good child and never gave them any problems, but his intelligence sort of frightened her. They planned on telling him he was adopted when he was older and would be able to understand. Now she wondered just how he would take this news and what he would do.

spn  
The snow was finally gone, but the days were still cold and dreary. Dean looked up when Zoe came into the classroom and spoke to the teacher. She motioned for Dean to come to the front of the class. Dean got up and walked slowly to the front listening to the snickers of some of the others thinking he was in trouble.

“Dean I’ve got some good news for you.” Zoe told him guiding him out of the classroom. “We’ve found you a foster family.” 

“No.” Dean stated trying to pull away from her.

“It’s ok Dean, I’ve checked them very carefully. They’ve fostered other children and are very nice. I wouldn’t let you go if I thought you would be harmed in any way. At least meet them.” 

With trepidation, Dean allowed Zoe to lead him to a small office to meet them. He stayed a step behind her, tensed and ready to run if he needed to. A man and woman stood to greet them when they walked into the office.

“Dean this is Mr. and Mrs. Harper.” 

Dean looked at the man and woman and saw kindness in their faces. The man knelt down to be on Dean’s level before talking to him. He tried to make himself as unthreatening as possible. The Harpers had been told of Dean’s last foster family and wanted to make him feel comfortable.

“Hello Dean, my name is Mitch and this is my wife Libby, it’s nice to meet you.” he told him offering his hand to shake.

Dean looked at him closely, searching for any signs of danger or red flags, but didn’t see any, so he took his hand and shook it. 

“We hope you would like to come home with us.” Libby said. “Would you like that?”

Dean studied both of them closely and looked up at Zoe for support.

“I’ll be checking in on you every week for a while to be sure you are ok.” she assured him. “So do you want to go pack your things?”

“I guess.” he finally answered. “And you will visit?” 

“I promise.” she smiled at him. “Come on I’ll help you pack. We’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Take your time.” Mitch told them taking his wife’s hand and smiling at her. 

spn

Dean’s eyes widened as he looked at the house they pulled up to. It looked like a castle to him, but it was a rather modest three bedroom brick home that sat on four acres of land. The lawn was well kept and the house was in very good shape. 

“Come on Dean, I’ll show you your room.” Libby coaxed him opening the car door. “I hope you like it, it’s been used by our other children.”

Libby led Dean into the house and down a hall to a bedroom that was amazing in Dean’s eyes. There was a full size bed, dresser, night stand, bookcase, small desk and its own bathroom. Dean walked slowly around the room looking at everything. 

“There are towels and anything you would need in the cabinet by the shower. If there’s something you don’t have, tell me and I’ll get it for you.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Please Dean call me Libby. Dinner will be in an hour, I hope you like baked chicken and rice. I’ll leave you to unpack dear.” she told him heading back down the hall. 

Not knowing what else to do, Dean began to unpack his few possessions and put them away in the dresser. The last thing he took out was the only thing he had of his little brother, the baby blanket Sam had used and was left behind. He sat down on the bed and relished how comfortable it felt. Dean was sort of shell shocked by all this. He had never been treated this nicely and allowed to have such nice things. This was all foreign to him. A small light of hope blossomed in his mind that maybe he had been lucky enough to find a good family, but he was not ready yet to let down his guard around the Harpers. He would still be cautious and wary until they showed him any different. Dean lay back on the bed and let his body sink into the comfortable mattress and let his eyes roam the room again looking at how clean and fresh smelling it was. He eyes roamed over several titles of books on the bookcase thinking they looked interesting and looked forward to reading them. He sighed and thoughts drifted to his brother hoping whereever he was he was safe and happy.

 

A/N: Comments are always welcome. Thanks for reading my story. NC


	7. Chapter 7

The life with the Harpers was like a dream. Dean got all the food he wanted to eat, had a warm, soft bed to sleep in and was allowed to grow in body and soul. He started in public school and found that he liked it. He was allowed to sign up for soft ball and track and Josh signed him up for the martial arts program where he took classes too. Dean thrived in his new world where he was actually allowed to be a kid and do what normal kids did. Even with all this, he never forgot about his little brother and his promise to find him. He still saw the shaggy, brown haired, hazel eyed boy in his dreams. Wherever Dean went, he searched the faces for this boy in hopes that one day he would find him.

spn

"Come on Dean hit it out of the park!" Mitch yelled as Dean came up to bat. 

Dean hit the bat against his cleats before taking the stance with the bat over his right shoulder waiting for the pitch. He let the first one go by which was called a strike. The second was on the outside and called a ball. He gripped the bat tight raising it off his shoulder, tensing his body, waiting for the pitch. He kept his eyes on the ball and swung hard, connecting with a sharp crack, sending the ball out in left field. 

"Yeah!" Mitch shouted standing up and clapping.

"What did I miss?" Libby asked as she made her way back up the bleachers to her seat.

"Dean got two runs in and is on third." 

"Alright, looks like pizza party tonight." she said looking over at the score board to see their team was ahead by three runs.

Dean made it home with the next hit and their team won the game. Dean went with his team to the local pizza place to celebrate their win. All ate their fill with gusto praising each other for the win. Dean looked around at his teammates and friends and smiled to himself at being so lucky to have so many friends. He never knew that life could be so good and it scared him at times thinking it would end.

spn

It was Friday and Dean stayed late at school for track practice. He used his key to get inside the house only to find it empty. 

"Libby." he called heading for the kitchen to look for her. He grabbed an apple out of the bowl and wandered back into the living room. It was not like Libby to be gone and not leave a note or call him if she wasn't going to be home when he got home. Dean threw himself on the couch and saw a note with his name on it standing up on the coffee table. He reached over and plucked it from the table. Libby had to take her car in for service and Mitch was picking her up from the station. They would pick up dinner and be home by the time he got home from practice. Dean grabbed the cordless and dialed her cell listening to it ring several times before going to voicemail. He hung up and tried Mitch's number to get the same thing. A cold feeling crept over him and his instinct told him there was something wrong.

He looked up when the doorbell rang and slowly got up from the couch making his way to the door. He looked out the side window and saw a police officer standing there. Dean unlocked the door and pulled it partly open to look up into the officer's face. 

"Hello son, my name is Officer Gordon are your parents Mitch and Libby Harper?"

"My foster parents." he answered. "Why what happened?"

"There's been an accident, I need you to come with me to the hospital." he said gently. 

"How bad are they hurt?"

"If you'll get your jacket, we'll go." he encouraged trying not to answer the question Dean asked.

Dean nodded as he stumbled slightly back to the couch to retrieve his jacket before following the officer to his car. He opened the passenger door for Dean and waited for him to get in. The silence was only broken by the radio issuing orders to other officers while they drove the twenty minutes to the hospital. The officer parked at the ER entrance and led Dean into the emergency room. He spoke to the nurse on duty to find out the status of his parents and where they should wait.

The voices around him sounded far away as he stood in the waiting area glancing around at the sick people. None of this seemed real; it was like a bad dream that he couldn't wake up from. He let the officer steer him toward an elevator and take him to another floor of the hospital. Dean was led to a waiting room and told to sit on a couch. He watched the officer walk toward a nurse’s station to talk with a nurse who glanced his way after a brief conservation. He saw her nod her understanding before reaching for a phone to make a call.

“Dean, that nurse over there is named Holly, she’s going to keep an eye on you until Social Services can send someone to sit with you.”

Dean didn’t respond to him only looked down at the floor as dread filled his soul and his heart seemed to break. 

“I’m sorry this happened son, someone will be out to talk to you shortly.” he said trying to comfort him. He placed a warm hand on Dean’s shoulder and squeezed it gently. 

Dean looked down at his hands trying to hide the tears that were forming in his eyes and threatened to leak out. He slumped back on the couch feeling drained and exhausted. 

“Hi Dean, I’m Holly, I brought you something to drink and some crackers. I thought you might be hungry since it dinnertime.” 

Dean looked up into the kind eyes of the nurse and accepted the items she offered.

“Thanks.” he whispered holding the drink and crackers awkwardly. His stomach was growling but he didn’t know if he could eat anything without getting sick. “Can you tell me about Libby and Mitch?”

“The doctor will be out shortly to talk to you. The social worker called she will be here in fifteen minutes. You just hang out here ok and if you need anything I’ll be out at the station. Oh, and if you need the restroom, its right outside the door on the left.”

Dean just nodded to her not trusting his voice not to crack at the moment. He sipped a little soda to wet his dry throat and sighed as he thought about what all this meant to him. He would be going back into the system again, even if they were alive, they wouldn’t be able to take care of him. He had a sinking feeling that the news was not going to be good, that his luck had run out.

spn

A strange feeling came over Trevor/Sam as he sat at his desk doing computer work. He frowned as he tried to concentrate and pull the feeling closer so he could try to figure it out. A sense of complete loss and sorrow rushed through his mind and tears filled his eyes to drip down his face. He knew without knowing how that he was feeling someone else’s pain. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the pain trying to picture in his mind who it was coming from. An image flashed in his mind of a waiting room somewhere, maybe a hospital before it was gone. Trevor reached out with his essence trying to give comfort to the person. He could feel the devastation and hopelessness in their soul and let his being touch the other’s soul with a soft caress. He now knew it was the boy he had been dreaming about all his life. Something horrible had happened in his life that was causing him so much pain. Trevor wrapped his soul around the other’s and gave what comfort he could before the feeling began to fade once again.

spn

Not knowing why, Dean looked around to be sure no one was near him or touching him. He frowned, confused by what he seemed to be feeling. It was like someone was trying to comfort him and take the pain away. A slow warmth spread through him for a moment before it was gone. Dean felt sad and already missing the gentle touch that gave him a feeling of calmness. 

“Dean.” a female voice spoke to him bringing him back to the present. “I’m Jenny from Social Services, how are you doing?” 

“My foster parents?” he asked quietly.

She looked toward the door as a man in scrubs walked in, glanced around the room and made his way to Dean and Jenny. 

“Hello Dean, I’m Dr. Trell.” he said sitting down beside him. “Your parents were in a bad car accident. I’m sorry to have to tell you, but they didn’t make it. Your father died at the scene and your mother, we tried to save her, but there was just too much damage and blood loss. I wish I had better news son. We did our best.”

“Thank you.” Jenny nodded reaching for Dean’s hand only to have him pull away from her touch. 

Dean felt numb all over as he digested the words the doctor had told him. Libby and Mitch were both dead, he was alone again. He had been with them for nearly two years and was starting to feel like they were a family. They had shown him unconditional love and patience as he let himself adjust to his new family. They had given him a life he never knew he could have. They didn’t spoil him; he had his chores he was responsible for, but he got an allowance for doing them. They always encouraged him to explore new avenues, letting him spread his wings and grow. Now his world had crumbled once again and he was left alone to pick up the pieces.

“Dean honey, I’ll take you back to your house to pick up some things before taking you to the group home. You‘re lucky I found a space for you this quickly.” she told him standing up and waiting for him to follow suit. Dean slowly got up stemming his emotions for now by shoving them into a box and locking it tight. He walked with her to the elevator, staring straight ahead not seeing or hearing anything around him. His eyes were lifeless and glazed over, revealing that he had seen more in his short life than a kid his age should ever see. He was on autopilot, not showing any emotions at all. “I’m parked in the back over there, the blue Chevy.” she pointed toward the car at the end of one of the rows of cars. Dean shuffled like an old man toward the waiting car and to the next phase of his life.

A/N: Comments are welcome. NC


	8. Chapter 8

The door opened easily as Dean pushed it and hesitated before crossing the threshold. His home for nearly two years seemed foreign to him now. This was going to be his last time he would be in this house and he would miss it. He made his way to his room and pulled a pack out of his closet and began to pack clothes and a couple of books. He knew he couldn't take all his possessions and opted for the basic items he though he would need. The last thing he added to the pack was the blanket that was under his pillow. He pulled a couple of pictures of his foster parents and him off his mirror and tucked them into one of his books while looking one last time around the room before turning off the light and walking out.

Jenny was waiting for him in the living room as he made his way down the stairs. She watched him with compassionate eyes knowing this was very hard on him to have lost his foster parents this way. She didn't know his background, but knew he had been with the Masters for nearly two years. He walked to the couch and grabbed his book bag before continuing to the door, afraid to look back for fear of loosing his stoic stance. 

“I’ve called ahead to the home and they’re expecting you. You’re lucky it’s still in the same school district and you can continue in the same school. You’ll be assigned a social worker who will work with you to help you get through this. I’ll be sure they'll find out about the arrangements and let you attend the services.” she talked not getting any response from Dean. He half listened to her as she continued to talk to break the silence in the car.

spn

Trevor rolled over in his bed and moaned softly as he dreamed of the older boy again. He seemed older than the last time he dreamed of him. He knew it was the same boy with the sandy blonde hair and those piercing green eyes that could bore into you. Trevor thought he looked three or four years older than him and there was something so familiar about him. A cloud of deep, deep sadness enveloped him as Trevor watched the boy sobbing silently. He seemed so alone and lost and he wanted to help him, to comfort him in his sorrow. All that he could do was look on at the scene and grieve with him. He was surprised as the boy looked up and right at him before he let his eyes roam as if searching for something or someone. Trevor wondered if the boy could sense him in some way that he couldn’t explain. 

“Sammy, I‘ve not forgotten you.” a soft whisper spoke catching Trevor off guard and the connection was lost. 

Trevor didn’t wake up as his dream faded and he drifted deeper into delta sleep, snoring softly. He slept the rest of the night without dreaming about the boy. He remembered all the dreams he had about him and kept detailed notes about them in a hidden journal kept specifically for that purpose. He never told his parents about any of the dreams because he didn’t think they would understand. He had made notes of all the things that bothered him about his life. As he got older and was able to understand things better, he knew there was something not quite right about his life. His parents were nice and kind and loving, but he knew something was missing and for some reason he didn’t like his name. It was as if it didn’t belong to him, it didn't fit him. Trevor's mind was a never ending source of questions. If he latched on to a problem or question, he was not satisfied until he found the answer or solved it. His obsession at present was learning all about computers and how to use them, dissect them, and program them. There were several books spread out across his desk on the subject. He wanted to store as much knowledge as he could in his brain because one day, he didn't know how he knew, but he knew he was going to need it.

spn

Dean woke up with tears leaking out of his eyes and the vision of the young boy still in his mind. His Sammy was growing up, if only he could find him and reunite his family. Today was the funeral for his foster parents and Tessa was going to take him to the service. Tessa had been assigned as his social worker now that he was in the group home. There were eleven other boys of different ages at the home with him ranging from eight to fourteen. He roomed with a younger boy named Joey who was quiet and shy. He didn’t mind since he really didn’t want to socialize. Dean got up and went to get ready knowing Tessa wouldn’t be late to take him. Mitch’s brother and sister and Libby’s parents had arranged everything per the instructions left by them. He knew other kids they had fostered were going to be there too since Tessa had told him that.

spn

The day was slightly overcast, reflecting the mood of the service as everyone gathered around the two coffins. A spray of flowers draped the top of each one and others sat around them. Even thought the day was not cold, Dean felt a chill deep down in his bones as he listened to the preacher but not hearing the words. He stood at the end of a row of five other guys who the Harper's had fostered. All their faces were a mask of sorrow and sadness. Dean followed them as one by one each laid a red rose on each coffin, pausing long enough to say their good-byes. Dean laid his roses on each coffin and blinked back the tears that blurred his vision. He swallowed hard, trying to be brave in front of all the others. Just when he thought he would lose it, a calming touch brushed across his soul giving him the strength to hold it together. He knew his brother had just touched his soul from wherever he was and it gave him some comfort.

Tessa walked beside Dean as he slowly made his way back toward the car. He had not said anything to anyone at the grave site, even the other foster kids. He seemed to shrink into himself as he got into the passenger side of the car. She was going to take him back to the group home and let him have some time to process everything. She decided school could wait one more day.

spn

Trevor brushed tears from his face wondering why he was crying. He could feel a deep sorrow down in his soul and reached out knowing he was feeling another's pain. He knew it was the boy he saw in his dreams. This boy felt a terrible loss, he wasn't sure what but it saddened him greatly. Trevor looked up when his parents called to him.

"Trevor, we have some wonder news." his Mom said.

"What?" he asked.

"You're going to have a little brother or sister." his Dad explained.

"We didn't think this could happen, it's a miracle." 

"I'm gonna be a big brother?" 

"Yes, isn't it exciting?" 

It didn't get past Trevor what his parents said about this being a miracle. He wondered if he was a miracle too. They never really talked about his birth, where he was born, nothing related at all. He didn't know why this bothered him, but it did. 

"Let's go out to eat to celebrate." 

"Go get ready Trevor, we'll leave in a few minutes." his Dad told him patting him on the back. Trevor got up and headed to his room to wash up and change his shirt. He was a very intuitive boy that analyzed everything around him. He was determined to figure out his life and why there was this hollow, empty feeling in his soul that would not go away. He knew there was a missing piece to his life and he was going to find it someday.

spn

Dean fell into a routine at the home, eating, going to school, chores, sleep and free time. He didn’t socialize much with the others and they left him alone sensing he wasn’t one to mess with. He caught a couple of the older boys teasing his roommate, Joey and put them in their place letting them know he was not to be messed with. After that, they were left alone by the others. The school year was almost over and Dean had made decent grades and was promoted to the next grade. 

spn

A week into summer vacation, Dean was called to the office to meet with the supervisor. He walked slowly toward the office wondering what this meeting was about.

“Dean come in, have a seat.” the supervisor told him. “I have good news for you; we’ve found a foster family willing to take you in. Their names are Tom and Mattie Spencer. They will be here tomorrow to pick you up so you need to pack your things and get ready.”

Uneasiness settled over Dean with this news. He didn’t have the best of luck with foster parents and wasn’t sure if he wanted to try again.

“You should be happy about this, most kids your age don’t get a chance at a foster home. They usually spend the rest of their time in a home or orphanage until they turn eighteen.”

“Yes sir.” Dean responded all emotions masked from him face.

“Dismissed.” 

With that final word, Dean got up and headed back to his room. He sat on the bed and thought about what he should do. He could run away, but that wouldn’t really help him right now. Reluctantly, he got up and pulled his pack from the closet and began to empty the drawers of his dresser. Joey walked in and saw what he was doing.

“Dean what’s happening?”

“Going to foster family tomorrow.” he mumbled to him.

“Really? That’s good right? At least you get out of here.” 

“I guess.” he replied packing the last of his things being sure that Sammy’s blanket was tucked away in the pack. He sat it to the side and looked over at the smaller boy. “You’ll be ok, don’t worry.”

“What if the person they put in here is not nice?”

“Don’t think like that, you’ll be fine. I’ll talk to Kyle, he’ll watch out for you.” 

“Thanks, I hope everything works out for you.” 

“Come on, we need to go help with dinner.” Dean told him squeezing his shoulder and guiding him toward the door. He had come to like Joey and felt like a big brother to him. He made a mental note to not forget about discussing Joey with Kyle and for him to look out for the kid. 

"Thanks Dean, I'm gonna miss you." Joey told him hugging him around the waist.

"I'll miss you to squirt but don't worry, I'm sure there's a family out there for you too. You just have to have faith and believe." 

"I will Dean. I'll pray everyday for one. I just hope the angels will hear me and bring me a family." he said going to the sink to wash his hands. 

Dean looked down at him and wished the same thing. He was a kind, sweet, shy boy who deserved to be put in a foster home or adopted. He sort of reminded him of the boy in his dreams, his little brother.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Just so you know, Dean has one more dark valley to walk through before he can move forward. I'm sure you're going to realize what is going to happen with the subtle hints in the next few chapters. Don't send the demons after me, it will get better. Your thoughts are appreciated.  
NC

 

 

Dean was waiting on the bench outside the office door the next morning feeling slightly sick. His stomach was tied up in knots not knowing what to expect. He looked up when the supervisor and a couple walked toward him.

"Dean this is Mr. and Mrs. Spencer, they're going to be your foster parents." he introduced them.

Dean stood up and looked the couple over slowly. The woman was in her mid thirties with shoulder length brown hair and eyes. The man was the same age with darker brown hair and brown eyes. 

"Hello Dean, it’s nice to meet you." Mrs. Spencer said to him smiling.

"Hello Dean." Mr. Spencer said smiling too but Dean didn't think it reached his eyes and saw a hint of something else there that he couldn't explain.

"Hello." Dean said politely.

"Do you have everything?"

"Yes."

"Well then let's go." Mr. Spencer told Dean starting to put a hand out to rest it on his shoulder until Dean stepped back and walked toward the door. 

"Thank you." Mrs. Spencer told the supervisor and followed her husband and Dean out the door.

spn

"Well Dean here we are." Mr. Spencer said opening the front door to a house. 

Dean stepped in and looked around carefully inspecting the house. It was tidy and filled with simple furniture that looked comfortable. He stepped on into the room not sure what to do as he looked around. 

"Let me show you to your room. You'll be sharing it with our youngest son, Seth." she told him leading him down a hall to a bedroom. "We have two children of our own, Seth and Hope. You are our fifth foster child we've had over the years." she continued as she opened a door. "After having two children of our own, we decided to help other children who needed parents instead of having another child ourselves."

Dean looked around the room and saw two twin beds, dressers, end tables with lamps and two desks. He could tell which side of the room was already taken by the posters and toys around the bed. Without being told, he went to the other bed and sat his pack on it. 

"The kids will be back in an hour and we'll have lunch and introduce you. I'm sure you will get along just fine. There's a bathroom through that door and a closet over there you two share." 

"Alright." he told her sitting on the bed.

"Why don't you relax for a bit before lunch Dean? We're so glad you've joined our family. I hope you will allow us to be one." 

After looking around the room again, Dean went to the dresser that didn't have anything on it and looked inside to find it empty. He took his pack and removed the clothes placing them in the drawer before closing it back. He sat the pack in the closet after removing a book from the side pocket. With nothing else to do, Dean started reading where he left off.

spn

Fifty minutes had passed and Dean looked up to see a boy around six or seven run into the room skidding to a stop at Dean's bed. He had dark brown hair and eyes and looked excited. 

"Hi, I'm Seth. Momma said to come and get you that dinner was ready." 

"Dean." he replied quietly sizing the boy up. A tiny ache pinched his soul when he realized this boy was probably the same age as Sam. He could almost see him in his mind jumping and bouncing around with those huge hazel eyes and those cute little dimples grinning up at him. 

"Dean, you hungry? Momma made fried chicken, you'll love it." he rattled on not realizing Dean wasn't listening to most of it. "Come on you have to wash up." he ended heading for their bathroom.

Once Seth came back out Dean went in closing the door for some privacy. He relieved himself and washed his hands quickly before heading back into the bedroom. Seth was sitting on his bed and jumped up when he came out. 

"Come on." he told him starting to grab his hand but Dean pulled it away. 

After the last foster home, Dean didn't let anyone touch him very often. He shielded away from other's contact as much as he could. It didn't seem to faze Seth who headed out the door waving for him to follow.  
After a moment’s hesitation, Dean followed him down the hall and through another door that led to a dining room. He could see a kitchen through an archway and movement in there. 

“Ok you guys, take your seats.” Mrs. Spencer told them. She was carrying bowls of food and was followed by a girl around Dean’s age. Mr. Spencer was the last to emerge from the kitchen carrying a plate of fried chicken.

“I see you’ve met Seth our youngest and that is Hope out daughter.” Mr. Spencer introduced them. “Guys this is Dean.” 

“Hi.” Hope said sliding into a chair beside him. 

“Hi.” Dean mumbled keeping his head down while Mr. and Mrs. Spencer took a seat. 

“Alright Dean, would you like white or dark meat?” Mr. Spencer asked holding the plate of chicken for him. 

“Either is fine sir.” 

“Please, call us Tom and Mattie, we’re not formal around here.” he smiled at Dean placing a piece of breast meat on Dean’s plate and a chicken leg on his before passing it along to his wife. "So Dean, I know this is awkward for you and all not really knowing us." Tom started as he forked a bite of chicken into his mouth. He chewed it slowly and continued. "So I work at a finance company, make pretty good money. I mean we're not rich at today's standards but we're doing ok. Mattie here works part time while the kids are in school. We both volunteer in the community and Mattie's active at the kid's school and church. We're just a typical America family here Dean, I think you should fit in just fine."

Dean listened and watched as bowls were passed around and he accepted them spooning a small amount onto his plate. Everyone began to eat and Dean followed suit, taking small bites and chewing quickly before swallowing. Having the least amount of food on his plate, Dean finished eating before the others. 

“Come on Dean, you’re a growing boy I know you can eat more than that.” Tom told him putting another piece of chicken in his plate. “Have some more.” he urged smiling at him. "Oh and we always take a family vacation in the summer when the kids are out of school. I think this year Mattie decided on the beach."

"Have you ever been to the beach Dean?" Mattie asked Dean.

"No ma'am." he replied quietly.

"You're gonna love it. The kids have a ball playing in the ocean and in the pool at the hotel and we always check out the attractions, play mini golf, shop and enjoy some local dining." 

"Yes ma'am." he nodded to her.

"Dean honey, its ok to call me Mattie like Tom said."

"Yes Mattie." he replied.

"I usually do some fishing during the summer too, I'm sure you'll enjoy that being in the outdoors and catching our food and cooking it. There's nothing better than fish cooked over an open fire." Tom said a gleam in his eyes that spoke of more than fishing.

"Yes sir...I mean Tom." Dean corrected himself watching a dark shadow cross Tom's face for a moment as he gazed at him but it was gone in the blink of an eye. Dean felt chills go down his spine making him feel uneasy. They were all being nice to him and didn't seem to be hiding anything that he could tell. Yet, there was a just something that seemed off about Tom that made him uncomfortable. Dean looked back down at his plate wondering if he could eat the chicken without throwing up. They seemed so normal and nothing seemed out of place, but still some instinct told him to be wary. 

“So Dean, I’ve talked with the school and they’re going to let you finish this year at your school since there’s less than a month left in this school year.” Mattie told him. “We’ll get you registered in our school district this fall.” 

“Alright ma'am.” he replied. 

The Spencers talked about family things and planning a family vacation once school was out and other mundane topics. Dean sat quietly and finished his meal while listening to their chatter. He didn’t feel comfortable joining in, nor did he want to. He wasn't part of their family yet and he felt like an outsider intruding in their lives. He would bide his time and try to be invisible. 

“Breakfast is at seven Dean and I’ll take you to school and pick up you at three.” Mattie told him. “Seth and Hope ride the bus to school so we won’t have a problem with transportation.”

“If you need anything for school let us know.” Tom told him. “Ok guys help your Mom clear the table and get your homework done.” 

“Yes Dad.” they said getting up and taking their plates to the kitchen. 

Dean got up and took his plate in there too and watched Hope and Seth begin to load the dishwasher. He passed his plate to them and looked around for more to try and help. 

“You can take the trash out if you want.” Hope said nodding to the full trashcan. “It goes in the one out by the garage.” 

“Ok.” he said pulling the bag out and tying it before heading for the back door. Dean walked out onto a small patio and looked around. To the left was a deck with a grill and picnic table and to the right was a two car garage and two large trash cans sitting beside it. He made his way to a can and deposited the bag into one of them. He started walking back to the house but paused at the window of the garage. He saw part of it had been remodeled. There was a large television sitting on a stand with a recliner centered in front of it.

“Oh that’s my man cave.” Tom said coming up behind him making him jump. “I fixed it up after Seth was born to give me a place to relax, watch a game, you know wind down.” 

“Better go help.” Dean said backing away and heading inside. He didn’t see the way Tom looked him over as he walked away. Dean was a good looking kid with blonde hair and green eyes and had a decent build. He had had a growth spurt a while back and was slightly taller than most ten, almost eleven year olds. He played soft ball and ran track at school to keep active and try to fit in. 

spn

The days passed without any problems or any hints of danger for Dean as he tried to settle into his new routine with this family. The kids were nice and tried to help him fit in. He did have chores to do, but nothing like what he was made to do at the first foster home he had been put in. Dean hoped he had found a good foster home like when he was with the Harpers. 

“Since this is the last day of school, we’re going out to dinner tonight to celebrate.” Mattie told Dean as she drove him to school. “Seth and Hope love to get pizza, is that alright with you?”

Dean was surprised that his opinion was being asked. He looked over at Mattie to be sure she really wanted an answer before responding.

“That’s fine.” he finally spoke.

“Good! Have a good day at school and I’ll see you at three.” she told him smiling sweetly at him.

spn

"Trevor, look there's a flyer about soccer camp starting next week, think you might be interested in going to it?” Enily asked him as they drove back home from school.

Trevor took the announcement and looked it over contemplating his answer. He was a very serious child who always thought anything he did before expressing his opinion.

“I think I’d like that.” he said handing the flyer back. “Is there a team I can play on?”

“I’m sure there is; we’ll check after camp and get you on one. This’ll give you something to do this summer. Are there any other camps or things you’d like to do?” 

“Could I go to computer camp?” he asked. “I want to learn more about them. It says you have to be ten but could you see if I can get in?”

“Of course, I think after they see how advanced you are there won’t be a problem. I’ll go in and see about it after dropping you off.”

“Thanks Mom.” Trevor told her as he got his backpack and lunch together so he could get out.

“You have a good day sweetie.” she called to him as he waved before heading into the school. He was so intense at times it worried her how he was going to be when he got older. He already acted like a small adult so wise beyond his years that sometimes she wasn’t sure how to treat him. There were times she knew he was more intelligent than she was regarding some topics and she hoped they could help him do whatever he wanted in this life.


	10. Chapter 10

"Dean, Momma says we can go to the park and play." Seth called to him from the hall. "You wanna come? We can take the Frisbee if you want."

"Sure." Dean replied putting his book away and getting up from his bed. They had been out of school for a week now and he got to sleep in sort of, Seth was an early riser and always woke him up to talk. He didn't really mind, he was happy to listen to him rattle on about nothing. Hope and him played card games and they all played board games or played outside in the tree house. He was beginning to feel at ease with them but still couldn't let his guard down completely. He didn't think he would ever really completely trust anyone again. There was something that kept nagging at him in the back of his mind, a little seed of doubt that this was too good to be true.

spn

After playing for several hours at the park, they came home and Dean went to take a shower before dinner. He had just shut the water off and was grabbing a towel when the door opened and Tom walked in.

"Oh sorry Dean, I didn't know you were in here." he said not taking his eyes off the naked boy who stood froze for a moment before getting the towel around his body. "I wanted to check to see how much laundry there was." he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"It's ok." Dean mumbled tightening his hold on his towel.

"I'll just let you get dressed." he said stepping back out and closing the door a smug look on his face.

Dean stood in the tub a few minutes longer waiting to be sure he wasn't coming back. He stepped from the tub and quickly dried off so he could put on his clothes. He looked at the hamper and saw there were only a couple of items of clothing in it and looked at the door frowning remembering Mattie had collected their laundry a couple of days before and washed it. He checked the bedroom but didn't find anyone in there so he headed for the dining room. It was his turn to set the table and found the dishes and silverware waiting to be placed around the table. He took the dishes and set each place before heading for the kitchen to see if there was anything else needed doing. Chores like this Dean didn't mind doing, it made him feel helpful.

"Is there anything else you need help with Mattie?" he asked her.

"Why thank you Dean, you can start taking the bowls to the table. The rolls will be ready in a couple of minutes."

"Alright." Dean replied picking up a bowl from the counter. He carried it carefully to the table and went back for another one. 

"I'll help with that." Hope said walking into the kitchen and seeing Dean helping.

"Thanks." he told her letting her take the other bowl. 

"Have you finished the book yet?" she asked.

"Almost and you were right it is a good story." he replied. "I like the main character and how he's trying to solve the mystery."

"I have the next one if you want to borrow it when you're done."

"Thanks, I'll get the other one back to you when I'm finished."

spn

"I have the day off tomorrow, you guys wanna go the zoo?" Tom asked as they sat down to eat dinner.

"Yea! I love the zoo." Seth cried happily.

"Sounds like fun." Hope agreed. 

"We can make a day of it." Mattie smiled. "Have you ever been to the zoo Dean?"

"No ma'am." he replied trying to be polite.

"Then it's settled the zoo it is." Tom told them. "You guys need to go to bed early tonight and get a good night sleep so you'll be rested and ready to have fun."

"I'm sure you'll have a good time Dean, there's so much to see and do." Mattie told him.

spn

Dean jerked in his sleep as he dreamed he was in a meadow on a warm summer day. He looked around at his surroundings wondering where he was. He looked up when a boy came running toward him an unruly mop of brown hair bouncing around his face. A wide grin was plastered on his face and he looked up at Dean with such love. The boy was starting to say something when the dream was interrupted by his name being called.

"Dean, Dean wake up." Seth called to him as he shook his shoulder.

Dean sat up in bed suddenly trying to remember where he was. He saw Sam standing by his bed until he blinked several times and realized it was Seth talking to him. He tried to get him mind working so he could understand what Seth was telling him. 

"Come on get up; remember we're going to the zoo." Seth said pulling the covers from his body. 

"Alright I'm getting up." Dean told him swinging his legs to the side of the bed and sitting up shaking himself awake.

"I can't wait to see the lions and elephants and monkeys. This is going to be so much fun you‘re going to love it." 

"You boys up?" Mattie asked from the doorway. "I'll have breakfast ready in a few minutes."

"Ok Mom."

"Yes ma'am." Dean said getting up and heading for the bathroom. He finished up quickly and got ready before heading for the dining room for breakfast. 

spn

Mattie had oatmeal, fruit, juice and toast ready for everyone. Dean took his seat and they ate breakfast doing a quick clean up so the trip to the zoo could begin. Dean sat in the back at a door with Seth in the middle and Hope on the other side. Tom turned on the radio and soft rock music filled the car. Dean leaned back and let his mind wander as he listened to the beat of the music. Seth was playing a hand held game and Hope was looking at a magazine to pass the time. The ride took three hours but the day was picture perfect. Soft white clouds were blowing across a clear blue sky making the day comfortable. 

"Daddy can we see the lions first and them the elephants and monkeys?" Seth babbled excitedly skipping alone while holding Mattie's hand. 

Hope and Dean were walking side by side until Tom moved between them placing a hand on each ones shoulder. Dean stiffened slightly not liking the touch as Tom squeezed his shoulder and rubbed his neck before Dean stepped away from him to look at a display. Dean didn’t like the feel of Tom’s touch but wasn’t sure why. 

“Come on Dean, don’t want to get lost.” Tom called for him to catch up. 

Dean trotted to catch up but stayed well away from Tom as they picked up maps and started walking around looking at the animals and attractions. They got through part of the zoo by lunchtime and they ate lunch at one of the restaurants at the zoo and used the afternoon to finish up their tour.

“Come on guys; let’s use the restroom before we start back.” Tom told the boys stopping at a restroom near the gate. 

Dean and Seth followed him into the bathroom and waited in line. Dean let Seth go first and stood stiffly not liking how close Tom was standing to him. He could feel his present towering over him like he was ready to pounce on him. Seth came out and thankfully Dean headed into the stall away from Tom. Once they were done and washed their hands, they headed back out to find Mattie and Hope waiting for them and headed out to the car for the ride home. They were going to go out for dinner before heading on home.

spn

“Ok guys we’ve had a long day go ahead and get ready for bed.” Mattie told them as they got out of the car.

“Yeah, my feet are telling me they want some down time.” Tom laughed opening the front door and allowing them to enter. “I’ll put these leftovers in the fridge honey.” 

“Alright dear, you coming to bed?”

“Yes in a few minutes. Think I’ll have a beer in my cave and see if there’s a game on.”

“Don’t be out there too long.”

“I won’t” he said strolling to the back door sneaking several sly glances at Dean as he headed down the hall.

Dean felt eyes on him and glanced back seeing Tom watching him before he stepped out the door. Dean learned very quickly that the ‘man cave’ was for Tom and Tom alone. The rest of the family was not allowed in there. That room was Tom’s private domain where he would drink beer and watch sports and sometimes smoke. Tom kept the small fridge stocked with his favorite beer and had several kinds of liquor sitting on a table beside it. He would drink the heavy stuff when he was celebrating a victory. He controlled his drinking being sure never to over indulge and lose control by getting wasted at least Dean had not seen him that way.

spn

Dean and Seth took turns using the bathroom and climbed into bed. Seth was asleep in a matter of minutes as he snuggled with the stuffed lion he was allowed to get at the zoo. Dean lay in the dark and thought about the day wondering if he was being too paranoid. Sleep finally overtook him as he let his mind drift away into the darkness. Both boys were sleeping peacefully and didn’t see Tom step into the room and look at each of them, his gaze lingering longer on Dean watching him sleep. Soon, very soon he would have what he wanted. He turned and headed for the master bedroom and bed with lingering thoughts of Dean standing in the shower naked.


	11. Chapter 11

Once a week Mattie took the kids to the library during the summer to keep them active in reading. Seth always sat in on story time while Hope and Dean looked through the books hunting some to check out. Dean liked the time he got to spend at the library. He loved to look through all the different kinds of books and find new things to read about. He found a couple books about rebuilding car engines and decided to give them a read. Building things and learning how they worked really peaked his interest. He was a hands on kid who liked learning by doing.

"Dean." Seth whispered hurrying up behind him. "Story time's over will you help me find a couple of books?"

"Sure, come on what are you interested in reading this time?"

"I don't know maybe something with animals. I liked going to the zoo and seeing all the animals."

"Ok, come on let's go see what we can find." Dean said leading him over to the children's books section. He waved to Hope to let her know where they were going. She waved back and mouthed she would be over in a minute. 

Dean helped Seth look through several shelves of books until he found three that he wanted to read. They met Hope at the desk and checked out their books and went to the front to wait for Mattie who was in a book club meeting in the auditorium. They were going to the grocery store afterwards and Mattie was going to let them stop for a milk shake once they were done.

spn

“Honey, I got a text from my Mom, Dad’s sick and she wanted me to come help out for a few days.” Mattie explained to Tom while they were having dinner. “I thought I would head over there Thursday and come back on Monday. I can take the kids and they can stay with Holly and visit their cousins.”

“Why don’t you leave Dean here and I’ll take him on a fishing trip, have some bonding time with him.” Tom suggested. “No use dragging him alone to visit total strangers. You like fishing Dean?” 

“Don’t know sir.” he mumbled since he had never been fishing.

“Well I don’t see why not, it’ll only be for a few days.” she agreed. “I’ll lay out a couple of casseroles you can heat up and you can always get takeout.” 

“Then it’s settled, I’ll go ahead and take a couple days vacation and get our trip planned.” he smiled looking over at Dean with hungry eyes. 

“You hear that kids? I want you to pack a bag for a few days you’re going to visit your cousins.”

“Ok Momma.” Hope said.

“Seth you be sure to pack socks this time. Dean could you help him?”

“Yes ma’am.” Dean said finishing up his meal. “Come on Seth.” he told him taking their plates to the kitchen before heading for their bedroom followed by Seth. Dean helped him pack a bag and sat it by the door for tomorrow. “You want me to get your bath ready?”

“Ok, thank you.” Seth said digging around for some clean pajamas and underwear. “Will you help me read later?”

“Sure, I’ll wait for you to get finished.” Dean replied from the bathroom. He got the bath ready and left Seth alone to bathe. He settled on his bed with a book and waited for Seth to finish in the bathroom. He could hear him playing in the tub with his boats and toys. Dean wondered if this was how it would of been if Sammy and him had stayed together. Would he be helping him with his baths and his reading? He was lost in thought when Seth came out of the bathroom dressed in his pajamas.

“I’m done Dean.”

“Did you let the water out?” 

“Yes and I put my toys away.”

“Ok, get your book and we’ll read.” he told him scooting over on his bed making room for him. Seth got his book and crawled up on the bed with Dean settling down beside him and opening the book. Dean helped him read the book and they played a couple of card games before getting ready for bed.

“Night Dean.”

“Night Seth.” 

“Dean I like you for an older brother.” 

“I’m glad.” he replied softly. “Now go to sleep.” 

“Ok.”

spn

“Have a safe trip and call me when you get there. Don‘t worry about us, we‘ll be just fine.” Tom told Mattie kissing her before she got in the car. “You guys behave and have a good time.”

“Bye Daddy.” Hope and Seth called to their father from the back seat. 

“I’ll call halfway and when I get to Mom and Dad’s.” 

Dean stood to the side and waved to them as Mattie backed out of the driveway and headed out.

“Well Dean looks like it’s just you and me for a few days.” Tom said clapping Dean on his back. “So you wanna head to the mall do a little shopping?”

“I guess.” he said stepping slightly away from him.

“Go grab your jacket and we’ll head out maybe get some lunch while we’re there.” Tom told him. “I’ll meet you at the truck.”

Dean nodded and went into the house to get his jacket. He came back out and locked the door behind him. Tom was sitting in the truck waiting for him and Dean headed for the truck getting in. Tom drove to the mall and they walked around it going in most of the stores. They grabbed a burger and fries at the Food Court before heading back home. 

spn

"So, I'll put one of the casseroles in the oven for dinner tonight you have any requests?" Tom asked Dean.

"No sir, that's fine." Dean replied. "I'm gonna go for a run at the park." 

"Alright but be careful."

"I will." he said slipping to his room to change clothes. Dean liked to run; it helped clear his mind and got his blood pumping. He found the park near the house had a good jogging path and he wanted to keep in shape for when school started back. Since he would be going to a different school, he would have to try out all over again for track and baseball. 

The air outside was a little humid, but there was a gentle breeze blowing keeping it comfortable. Dean stretched on the porch and jogged down the driveway heading toward the park. He carried a water bottle in one hand and set out at a steady pace down the road. Dean felt all the tension slowly working its way from his body. When he got to the park, he saw there were others using the path too. He joined them and went into the zone tuning everything out around him as his shoes softly slapped the blacktop in a steady rhythm. He ran for four miles letting calmness wash over him with the feel of freedom and release. 

spn

Dean drank his water and walked slowly back toward his house letting his body cool down after the run. He stopped at the mail box and gathered the mail to take inside. Dean laid the mail on the kitchen counter and headed to his room to shower. He didn't see Tom standing in the shadows watching his every move and taking in his lean sweaty body in his shorts and tee shirt that was plastered to his body.

"Is that you Dean?"

"Yes sir."

"Dinner will be ready in an hour."

"Alright." he called back.

Dean shut the door to his bedroom and rummaged in his dresser for clean clothes before heading to the bathroom to shower. The hot water felt good on his tired body and he was looking forward to an early night; he wanted to finish his library book and turn in. He wasn't really looking forward to dinner alone with Tom, but there wasn't much he could do about it but go ahead and get it over with. 

After getting dressed and towel drying his hair, he checked the time and headed for the kitchen. The smell of the casserole wafted around the room. There were two plate settings at the bar along with a small basket of rolls.

"Good, you're here. It'll be ready in ten minutes. What would you like to drink?"

"Milk's fine." 

"Milk it is, did you have a good run?"

"Yes sir."

"Are you going to try out for track at your new school?"

"Probably and baseball."

"Well I don't think you'll have any problem getting on the team and that'll mean we get to come to your games to cheer you on." 

"If you like." 

"That sounds good, ok here we go." Tom said sitting the casserole on a hot plate on the counter. "Let's dig in while it's hot." he told him spooning some into his plate. 

Dean waited until he was done before getting some out for himself. He choose a roll and began to eat hoping Tom wouldn't try to make small talk with him. All he wanted to do was eat and escape to his room away from him. He still wasn't sure why Tom made him feel so uncomfortable but he hoped he could keep his feelings to himself until the others came back. Mattie, Hope and Seth all seemed fine and didn't throw up any warning flags that there was anything going on in the house. He was sure if things weren't good it would of shown by now. If it got too bad, he was going to tell the social worker he was still seeing every other week that he wanted to go back to the home. 

Maybe he wasn't meant to be happy. He had let so many people down in his short life that he felt he didn't deserve a nice home with people who actually cared about him. He still held so much guilt inside of him for Sammy and for Billy. The weight on his shoulders was so heavy at times it felt like he couldn't breathe. He still dreamed of Sammy and now he had nightmares about Billy and not being able to save him from his fate. 

"I'm gonna catch the game tonight, would you like to watch it?" he asked inviting him to his man cave.

"No, thought I'd read." Dean answered wondering why Tom was being so nice and asking him to his man cave too. "Thought I'd get to bed early and all." 

"Alright then. If you need me, you know where to find me. We'll talk about that fishing trip tomorrow." 

"Ok." Dean said getting up and rinsing his plate before putting it in the dishwasher. He grabbed a bottle of water before heading for his room not looking back at Tom as he sat in his chair watching Dean's every move licking his lips in anticipation.

"I'll see ya later Dean." he mumbled to himself while rubbing his fingers together ever so slowly.

 

A/N: Comments are welcome. NC


	12. Chapter 12

Warning: This chapter does contain abuse so I will leave it up to you whether you read it or not. You have probably figured from the previous chapters what is going to happen. This was a very, very hard chapter for me to write because I've never put either brother in this type of situation before. I have rewrote, edited and still I don't know if I have it the way I want, but here goes. Good news this is the last dark chapter for the story. Things will get better for Dean and he will get the help of a familiar character to guide him. If you don't want to read this chapter and want a brief summary PM me. As always, I do appreciate any comments. NC

 

Dean finished the last chapter in his book and put it on the dresser to return to the library. He got up and stretched, grabbed several sips of water before heading for the bathroom to do his nightly routine. He strolled to the light switch and turned it off before pulling the covers back and climbing into bed. Dean settled down into the mattress and let sleep roll across his mind sending him into blissful slumber.

spn

The light from the hall cast a lone shadow into the room as Tom stood in the doorway looking in at the sleeping boy and his eyes gleamed darkly. He thought Dean might be the best one yet and couldn’t wait to sample the goods. Tom had been able to fly under the radar because he had friends in high places he turned to when he needed to make a kid disappear. It wasn't hard to convince others that the kids ran away or in a couple of cases, he got them put in juvie claiming they were stealing and threatened him and his family. Once there, it didn't take much to bully them into submission and scare them into not talking.

Tom made his way slowly into the room and stood by the bed. He gripped the rope in his hand taking in the innocence of the sleeping boy. He turned on the small lamp on the nightstand and quickly grabbed Dean’s wrists looping the rope around them and pulling it tight before looping it over the headboard's bedpost. Dean started to struggle as he pulled himself from sleep trying to figure out what was going on. He tried to scream out and had a gag stuffed into his mouth to silence him.

“Oh Dean I have wanted to do this from the first time I laid eyes on you.” Tom cooed to him running a hand down his cheek and cupping his face. “It was all I could do to control myself, so handsome and such a body for a boy your age.” he continued letting his hand roam down over his chest. 

Dean stared at him in horror as he tried to get his hands free from their bonds. He could smell the beer on his breathe when Tom leaned in close to him. He bucked and tried to kick at Tom to be awarded with a punch to the stomach knocking the breathe out of him and bringing tears to his eyes. He stilled and tried to pull air into his lungs while trying to keep the bile that rose in his throat from choking him. He could see the evil that shadowed Tom's face as he gazed at him with hungry eyes. 

spn

It started as small whimpers as Trevor thrashed in his bed and the volume began to increase until screams passed his lips that echoed around his room. Josh and Emily raced to his room when the first scream woke them.

"Trevor, Trevor honey what's wrong?" Emily asked gathering her son in her arms as his body shook and the screams continued.

"Is he hurt?" Josh asked turning on the overhead light to get a better look at him. 

"No, it's like before when he was three; they didn't find anything then either." Emily replied rocking Trevor gently.

"St-St-St-op him." Trevor cried in distress.

"Stop who honey?" she asked brushing his hair from his face. 

"M-Man." he sobbed feeling the pain of the other and not knowing what to do to help or stop it.

"What man Trevor?" Josh asked. "Did someone hurt you?" 

"Boy." he whimpered as his body shook and he curled in on himself. "I'm here..." he whispered. "I'm here..." he said again trying to keep the connection that was being broken by the other. He was being pushed back and away from the pain and hurt and attack. "No, no come back." he hiccupped before burying his head into his pillow to sob. 

Emily rubbed his back and looked up at her husband with a concerned face. Neither understood these episodes Trevor would have. They had taken him to a child psychologist, but they couldn't tell them any more than they already knew. Trevor would not talk about them to anyone no matter how hard they tried. He knew they wouldn't understand and something told him to keep quiet it had to be his secret.

spn

“Now calm down, I’m going to go easy with you this time since it’s your first. It is your first time right?” he asked slipping a hand under his tee shirt and pulling it up Dean’s body and over his face and arms. Dean tried to shake his head to rid him of the shirt but couldn’t get it to move. This was even more frightening to Dean, not being able to see what he was doing to him. He growled and snarled into the gag pulling hard on the ropes that bound him only to have them tighten on his wrist.

“Oh Dean just look at yourself, nice, toned and firm.” Tom continued to praise him as he let his hands roam over his bare chest to replace them with his lips. He kissed and nipped at Dean’s body savoring the taste. He bit harder along his stomach leaving teeth marks and in one spot he brought blood that seemed to excite him more. He could feel himself growing hard and straining against his sweats as he licked the blood that beaded up from the bite.

Dean wiggled and growled and tried to cry out around the gag cringing with each wet, slobbery kiss and bite. He sucked in his abdomen trying to pull away from Tom but wasn’t having much success in his efforts. That soft touch was there trying to get to him but he pushed it away hard. He didn't want anyone to see the torture he was enduring especially the soul of his little brother. He never wanted anyone to know the torture and abuse he was being subjected to by this monster.

“So tender and tasty, do you know what a sexy body you have?” he mumbled into Dean’s stomach licking a path across it. He moved his hand lower and rubbed it between Dean’s legs, cupping his manhood. Dean tried to buck him off but Tom's weight on his legs kept him pinned to the bed unable to defend himself. The skin on his wrists was being rubbed raw as he fought to pull them free.

Fingers were slipped under the waistband of his bottoms and briefs pulling them slowly down his legs letting them bunch at his ankles. Tom sat back admiring the naked body under him. He continued to work across his abdomen before capturing his prize and rolling it in his mouth. He cupped his balls and squeezed them then rolled them in his palm. Dean felt the bile choking him as his body betrayed him and began to harden much to his disgust. Tom moaned with pleasure as Dean bucked one last time as he came in Tom’s mouth. Tom continued to suck on him drawing everything out before stopping. Dean lay under him trying to draw in deep breaths through his nose and trying not to pass out.

“I knew you would enjoy that.” Tom said rolling Dean’s body over into a kneeling position with his bottom exposed to him. "It just gets better with each time; you'll last longer and get more pleasure the next time. Just you wait and see, you'll be begging for it."

Dean coughed and twisted his head so he could breathe and groaned from the strain on his arms. He felt something cold, wet and slimly begin to run down between his butt cheeks suddenly understanding Tom’s intent. Dean screamed no into the gag when he felt a finger run down his crack and then pressure.

“Let’s get you ready, I’ll go easy this time.” Tom told him as he pressed a finger into Dean’s bottom pushing lubricant into it. He slipped another finger in and began to scissor the two fingers several times stretching him before pulling them out.

“Oh Dean, I’ve waited for this since the day you walked into this house.” he groaned dropping his pants and capturing his erection to rub lubricant alone it before pressing it into Dean. He entered him with one short thrust, pausing long enough to enjoy the tightness before continuing. He began to move slowly at first, savoring each stroke until he couldn't contain himself and began to go faster.

White hot searing pain shot through Dean’s body so intense his head began to spin and he got light headed, blacking out for a few seconds. Tom continued to assault Dean until he cried out one final time with his release. He lay there for a moment before moving off him. 

“That was so much more than I dreamed of Dean. Oh you and me are going to become such good friends. I’m gonna show you and do to you things you never dreamed of.” he told him rolling him over and pulling his shirt down before untying his hands. “Oh and if you think telling anyone is going to get you our of here or running away, you can think twice about that. I have plenty of connections and ways to make uncooperative boys disappear to places that make this seem like paradise.” he stated rubbing his hand between Dean's legs and squeezing his balls harder than needed. Dean flinched and stopped the groan from escaping his lips not wanting to give him the pleasure. “Go get cleaned up and get some sleep, we’ve got three more days to enjoy each others company. Hell, I might even call the wife and encourage her to spend a couple more days. It's so much fun breaking in the new ones, don't you agree? I'll have to teach you how to please me like I did you. I can't wait to sample the sweetness again. I think I'll go have some beers and Jack to celebrate your introduction to my family.”

Dean looked at Tom through squinted eyes as he pulled his pants up and headed out. He removed the gag from his mouth and painfully reached down to pull his pajamas bottoms and briefs up enough to stand on rubbery legs. He stumbled to the bathroom and fell in front of the commode and began to throw up until he had nothing in his stomach and started dry heaving. He finally sat back and flushed the commode while trying to gain control of his trembling body. His entire body ached from the sexual abuse he had suffered through and he couldn't stop the tears cascading down his face or the hoarse sob that slipped from his lips.

spn

Pushing himself up from the floor, Dean stepped to the tub and turned on the water adjusting it as hot as he could stand it. He pulled his clothes off and stepped into the hot spray tensing as it pounded on him. His wrists burned from the rope burns as the water ran down his arms and he flinched in pain. He picked up the soap and soaped a washcloth and began to scrub him body as hard as he could trying to get any trace of Tom off of him. He rubbed so hard he almost took his top layer of skin off leaving his body deep red and tingling from the harsh washing. He was careful when he rubbing the cloth over his bottom, sucking in a deep breathes because of the tenderness. Dean stood in the shower and beat his fist against the wall as his soul split into changing him. He knew what needed to be done and let the darkness take control and guide him. His tears stopped as he leaned against the wall and drew in long deep breathes to gain control. He shut the water off and pulled a towel off the rack to dry his body. His shoulders felt like they had been almost pulled out of their sockets and he carefully tested his movement before stepping from the tub. He knew he was going to be in a lot of pain tomorrow and wasn’t looking forward to it.

Moving to the foggy mirror, he took a hand and swiped it across the glass showing a face that he didn’t recognize gazing back at him. The Dean Winchester that walked into this house was not the Dean Winchester that now stood before this mirror. That Dean Winchester was gone. There was darkness in him now that clouded his soul hiding its brightness. He eyes were hooded and hard and determined. He finished drying off and slowly made his way back into the bedroom but not before checking to be sure Tom was not lurking in there. He went to the dresser and got clean clothes. Pulling his pack from the closet, he started packing clothes and only things that he thought would be useful. He rolled a blanket up and tied it to the bottom of his pack to use at night. Dean glanced at the clock and decided to wait for another hour before making his move. If Tom was celebrating, he wanted to let him get wasted. He tried to sit on the bed but had to lie on his side instead. He watched the minutes tick down and listened to every sound and noise outside his room. If Tom came back, he was going to fight him tooth and nail before he let his rape him again. 

spn

Deciding not to wait any longer, Dean got up, picked up his pack and quietly walked to the bedroom door forty-five minutes later. He looked down the hall toward the master bedroom and moved quietly in that direction. The light from the master bathroom lit up the room enough for him to see Tom was not in bed. He went to the dresser and found his wallet and took the bills from it stuffing them in his pocket. Dean looked toward the door before going to the desk and checking out what was on top of it. He opened the side drawer and found a folding knife and snagged it slipping it into his pocket. There was one drawer that was locked but that didn’t stop him from taking a letter opener to jimmy it open. Inside he found more money and a small hand gun and bullets. Dean opened his pack and dropped the things in thinking they might come in handy later. He pulled out a small box and opened it to find pictures of boys in comprising positions. His face hardened with each picture he looked at. Tossing them on the bed, he headed out listening for Tom with each step he took. His hand closed around the knife in his jacket pocket ready to pull it out to defend himself if needed.

spn

The living room was empty and so was the kitchen so that left one place, Tom’s man cave. Before going to check it out, Dean looked in the cabinets for granola bars and crackers and took juice boxes and a few small bottles of water from the fridge to add to his pack. Dean made his way to the back door and opened it looking toward the garage and seeing lights. Moving carefully, he walked to the window and looked inside to see Tom sitting in his recliner asleep or passed out. There were empty beer bottles strewn around the chair and a half empty bottle of whiskey sitting beside him. He saw a pack of cigarettes on the arm of the recliner and a burnt one between his fingers. The door was slightly ajar so he sat his pack down before gently pushing on it opening it just wide enough for him to step inside. Tom continued to snore loudly as the TV played in the background unaware of Dean’s presence. 

Dean looked around the room slowly until his eyes landed on a book of matches lying on a work bench and knew what he had to do. He was not going to let Tom abuse another boy the way he did him. He snagged the book and walked carefully toward the recliner watching Tom’s face to be sure he didn’t wake up. He picked up the partial bottle of whiskey and began to pour it over the arm and into Tom’s lap until it was empty. He saw another open bottle of some kind of liquor on the shelf and grabbed it, pouring it around the recliner soaking what he could of the chair. Stepping back slightly from the recliner, he struck one match and held it to the book to light the others before tossing it onto Tom’s whiskey soaked sweats. Dean showed no emotions as he turned on his heels and walked back to the door removing the key from the dead bolt before stepping out and locking it on the outside. Without the key, the door couldn’t be opened from the inside; it would have to be broken down. He picked up his pack and headed toward the backyard so he could disappear into the woods, his one thought was to leave and never come back. He didn't hear the panic screaming coming from the garage as the flames greedily lapped at anything that would burn sending flames high to the ceiling. The pounding on the locked door slowly grew softer until it finally stopped all together and the only sound was the hungry flames eating away at the contents of the room.


	13. Chapter 13

With every step he took, his body protested the movement and jarring of the uneven ground as he forced himself to continue walking through the dark woods. He wanted to get as far away from the garage and the monster as possible before finding a place to stop and rest. His body became numb as did his mind as he trudged on in a daze. As dawn began to lighten the forest around him, Dean saw an old cabin off in the distance and made for it. He decided to lay low during the day and move at night until he got to town where he could catch a bus out of this area. He had already decided there would be no more foster homes or group homes or homes of any kind for him. He was taking his life into his own hands from now on and no one was touching him ever again. The dark and the light of his soul fought within him, each trying to over shadow the other and take control. 

When he got to the cabin, Dean looked around to be sure there was no one there before going inside. It looked like an old hunter's cabin that hadn't been used in a while. The place was dusty and full of spider webs and didn’t look like anyone had been there in weeks, probably months. He sat his pack on a small wooden table and pulled out a granola bar and juice box before dropping down in a chair wincing slighting from the pain. He was exhausted and hurting and just wanted to curl up and go to sleep but knew he needed to eat something to keep his energy up. 

After sipping the last of the juice, Dean got up and took the chair over to the only door in the cabin and shoved it tightly under the doorknob to prevent someone from opening it. There was a small cot in the corner with a dusty mattress on it. He pulled the mattress off and tried to shake some of the dirt from it before placing it back on the cot. He untied the blanket from his pack and spread it out before easing down on the cot in exhaustion. Dean closed his eyes and tried to get in a comfortable position as his mind shut down.

spn

A flutter of wings and a slight disturbance of the dust was the only noise made as the angel appeared in the middle of the room. He walked over to the boy who was trembling and whimpering in his sleep as the nightmares invaded his mind. 

"My child I heard your prayers and felt your torment, but alas I was not allowed to intervene. I know your suffering was almost unbearable, but you will prevail. There is much you and your brother are to do for this world." he spoke quietly to the troubled child. "I can at least ease your physical pain and allow you sleep without dreaming." he said reaching down with two fingers touching Dean's forehead to put him into a deeper sleep. He took Dean into his arms and wrapped his large wings around both of them before settling down on the cot with him on his chest. The wings were like a cocoon, giving them a shadowy enclosure allowing Dean to slumber in peace. Dean automatically snuggled into his strong, warm chest and slept without dreams, letting the angel's heartbeat comfort him and the heat of his body warm his cold one. 

spn

It was six hours later when Dean began to pull himself from sleep. A strange feeling that something was missing made him sad. He looked around the room searching for something that couldn't be found. He lay still letting the fog clear from his mind as the events of the night before played out again. He swallowed hard and began to move a little surprised he was not sore or in pain. He sat up and sighed knowing he should get going. After several sips of water, Dean pulled the small handgun from his pack and the roll of money. He wanted to see how much cash he had so he could ration it to make it last longer. Dean was shocked when he counted the money to find that he had over a thousand dollars along with what he had in his pocket should get him far away from here. He carefully examined the gun figuring out how to remove the clip and how to chamber a bullet. Dean rolled his blanket and tied it to his pack and set out through the forest. He stopped a short distance from the cabin and took the gun back out of the pack. Deciding on a target, he aimed and fired the gun at a tree in front of him. It was much louder than he expected and to his surprise, he actually hit it. He took aim again and fired wanting to get a feel for the gun in case he ever needed to use it. After shooting the last round, he took the box of bullets and reloaded the clip. Satisfied he could use it; he returned it to his pack and got ready to move out. He checked the position of the sun that was low in the sky knowing he needed to head east to get to the town over from where the Spencer’s lived. Dust was beginning to settle around him as he headed into the woods toward what he thought was the road.

spn

The trees began to thin out after nearly two hours of walking and Dean could hear cars on a road ahead of him. He carefully made his way closer to see if he could figure out his location. There was a gas station and a fast food joint on the other side of the road and decided to get some takeout since his stomach was growling loudly. 

Dean headed for the fast food place and went to the restroom first. He washed up as well as he could and took money out to pay for the food before leaving the restroom. He made his way to a register and ordered then stood to the side waiting for his food. After getting his food, Dean headed back outside to some tables to eat. His eyes darted around observing everything and everyone searching for any danger. Dean ate quickly, savoring eat bite. He usually didn’t eat fast food, but he figured that was about to change since he was on the run. As he finished his drink, a plan began to form in his mind of what he would do next. He needed to disappear into the population and become a ghost no one would see or pay attention to.

spn

Dean walked slowly down the aisle of the gas station deciding on gum and a bottle of Gatorade before heading for the register. He scanned over the maps at the front and pulled down one that looked like would be useable. He paid for the items and asked where the nearest bus station was located. He lucked out finding out it was only a couple of miles down the road on the outskirts of town. Dean took his items outside and when over to the side of the building so he could look at the map. He wanted to pick out a couple of cities that would be far enough away he hoped no one would look for him. After studying the map for ten minutes, Dean folded it and stored it in a pocket on the pack and shouldered it before hiking down the road toward the bus station.

spn

The traffic was light still so Dean didn’t have to dodge many cars along the way. He didn’t like staying on the road but knew it would make getting to the bus station easier and faster. He didn’t think they would be looking this way for him yet and he hoped to be on a bus heading north before they thought to look for him here. The sun was making its downward plunge as Dean neared the station. He checked it out carefully before heading inside to get a schedule. 

“One ticket to Lincoln, Nebraska.” Dean told the clerk putting money on the counter. 

The clerk eyed Dean and looked over his shoulder for an adult before answering him.

“You alone son?” the clerk asked suspiciously.

“I’m going to see my grandmother. My Dad’s letting me get my own ticket; he’s waiting outside for me to see me off.” Dean lied smiling sweetly.

“Alright then, here’s your ticket and change.” the clerk replied sliding the items back to Dean.

“Thank you ma’am, have a good day.” Dean said gathering up the ticket and change and heading out before any more questions were ask. 

He looked at the bus number and walked by several before finding the right one and climbed the steps giving the driver his ticket. He looked for empty seats and chose one away from other passengers. He dropped his pack in a seat and settled down in the one beside it. The bus was only half full by the time it pulled out from the station. The trip was going to take about nine hours since the bus stopped at numerous towns along the way. He planned on getting another ticket to Grand Island, Nebraska and staying there for a while until he was sure things had quieted down. It was far enough away from Lawrence for now and a big enough town to get lost in. 

spn

The bus pulled into the station at Grand Island after lunch the next day and Dean got off looking around slowly at his new surroundings. He went in to use the restroom and to see if they had a map of Grand Island so he could get his bearings. Dean came out with several maps and looked around for a quiet place where he could study them and decide where to go. He saw a sign advertising several fast food places and gas stations a couple of miles down the road and decided to head that way. He glanced around to be sure no one was paying attention to him as he set off walking down the road. He stayed as far from the road itself as he could. Dean knew he had to become invisible, a ghost in the world of the living. His senses stayed on high alert watching for cops or anyone who might pose a threat to him. He was learning quickly how to hone his senses to his advantage.

spn

Sweat was trickling down his neck by the time he saw the businesses just ahead of him. He eyed each one carefully before deciding which one to enter. He had decided on one of the restaurants that had tables outside that were sitting empty of customers. Since the lunch rush had passed, the place only had a few customers sitting inside. Dean went to the restroom first to use it and wash up as good as he could before going back out to order some food. He stopped at the bar and grabbed ketchup, salt, straws and several spoons dropping them in his bag and heading for the umbrella covered tables to the side of the building. A warm breeze ruffled his hair as he pinned the napkins down with his drink before spreading the food out in front of him. His stomach grumbled when the scent of the food wafted up to his nose and he drew it in with anticipation. Dean made himself eat slowly so not to upset his stomach and possibly throw up. Once he finished with his food, he unfolded a map and pin pointed his location and what was in the area. He knew he needed to find a place to lay low and make some big decisions so he headed into the town to find an abandoned building that wasn't being used by any other homeless people. At the moment, he didn't trust anybody and wanted to keep his distant from those that might harm or rob him.

 

A/N: Thank you for reading my story. Your comments are welcome. NC


	14. Chapter 14

The neighborhood was a quiet one and only a few cars drove by Dean as he strolled down the sidewalk. He kept his eyes opened and noticed there were several houses For Sale on both sides of the street. One house in particular caught his eye. It was surrounded by shrubs in the front and a high wooden fence along both sides. Being sure no one was watching, he slipped into the driveway and worked his way around to the back of the house. The place looked like it had been empty for a while. 

The back yard was large with a wooden shed in one corner under a large oak tree. The fence continued all the way around the property allowing for privacy. Dean didn't want to break into the house so he headed for the shed that wasn't locked. Pulling the door opened, he saw some buckets, rags, a ratty broom, cardboard boxes and a couple pieces of broken furniture. Seeing nothing dangerous, Dean walked in and dropped his pack to the floor. He went to the back of the building and opened the only window to allow fresh air inside. Stepping back he picked up the broom and began to sweep some of the dirt and dust out the door. He picked up the cleanest of the buckets and went outside looking for a water faucet hoping the water was still on.

Once he filled the bucket, he found a warm spot on the rock patio and left it to warm in the hot sun. It wouldn’t be much, but he could at least wash off some and change his clothes. He went back to the shed and took a couple of the empty boxes and laid them on the floor to allow a little cushion before spreading his blanket over top of them. Standing back, he examined his make shift bed and decided it would be useable. With nothing else to do until the water warmed, he pulled the maps out again and began to memorize the streets and landmarks. If he was going to stay here, he wanted to be able to find his way around without getting lost.

spn

The water was lukewarm when Dean checked it several hours later. He carried it to the shed and shut the door behind him. Dean stripped down to his briefs and made a small pile of dirty clothes. He had found a couple of the rags usable and used one to wash with and one to dry with. There wasn’t much he could do about his hair but dunk his head in the bucket and try to clean it as best he could. He used the biggest rag to dry himself before slipping on clean clothes. It wasn’t the best bath, but at least he felt halfway clean. Dean dumped the bucket outside the building and went back inside leaving the door opened enough to see out and allow a little circulation within. He settled down on his makeshift bed and pulled a power bar and Gatorade from his pack for his dinner. He used his pack for a pillow and stretched out to slowly eat his power bar.

He lay there and listened to the sounds around him trying to identify them and chalk them to memory. He was going to have to train himself on how to live this way and protect himself. He needed to become more aware of his surroundings and the dangers that could be around him; he needed to learn how to be street smart and fast. His thoughts were still on this when he drifted off to sleep as the sun slipped down below the horizon casting the world into shadows and darkness. The night air cooled down making it more comfortable for sleep in the building. Dean didn't hear the flutter of wings as the angel appeared beside him and looked down at his sleeping form. He would guard him for the night and let him continue on his journey tomorrow.

spn

Dean woke to the first traces of daylight and sat up stretching his stiff body from sleeping on the floor. He looked around him and sighed knowing he needed to get going. He pulled out his toothbrush and paste to brush his teeth before packing it up. He used the outside corner near the shed to relieve himself and took his empty water bottles and filled them at the faucet before stowing them in his pack. Once that was done, he headed out toward the business district to explore and look for a place he might be able to stay for a while. He knew he was going to have to learn how to be homeless in this city and keep himself alive. He was not giving up the hope that some day he would find his baby brother and just maybe their Dad too. 

People were beginning to wake up in the development and getting ready for work and getting kids ready for school. Dean headed out of the residential area and finally stopped a bus stop. He looked at the schedule on the wall of the stop seeing it would take him downtown. Deciding this was better and faster than walking, he sat down on the bench and waited for the bus. It wasn’t fifteen minutes later before several other people joined him at the stop waiting to catch the bus. They really didn’t pay much attention to him all wrapped up in their own world. The bus pulled up fifteen minutes later and everyone got on board finding seats for the ride. Dean sat in the back away from the others and watched as they read the paper, listened to music or drank their coffee waiting for the ride to be over so they could go to the jobs. 

spn

Dean munched on the pretzel as he walked down the sidewalk glancing in the windows of the shops he passed. Both sides of the street were lined with shops of all kinds from clothing to food. He looked at the people around him as they rushed down the sidewalk in a hurry to somewhere. He took in all the hustle and bustle around him before ducking down an alley and heading away from all the noise and people. He stopped at the end of the alley and looked right and left. There were dumpsters lining it for trash from the stores. He turned right and walked slowly down the road, letting his all his senses fan out looking for threats. As he neared where several restaurant dumpsters were, a man stood up and looked his way. Dean knew he was homeless from his appearance and watched as he started to look through the dumpster for food, he guessed. Dean eased around him keeping a sharp eye on him and hurried on to the end of the alley. 

Looking both ways again, he decided to head away from the congested area and headed toward what looked like a less populated section with warehouses and storage buildings. Dean walked by delivery trucks that were picking up shipments and some that were delivering merchandize. The longer he walked, the shabbier the buildings became and more rundown. He read signs on the buildings, For Sale, Closed, Keep Out and Condemned. Glancing around to be sure no one saw him; Dean slipped through a hole in a chain linked fence and headed for one of the abandoned buildings. He saw trash and debris all around the building and graffiti sprayed over the walls. Dean walked closer to the building and around to the side seeing a door that was partly open. 

The inside of the structure was not any better than the outside of it. Dean stepped around broken glass, garbage, needles and condoms. He skirted around the items and walked slowly deeper into the large room.  
There were steps leading up to the second level and he decided to get above all the destruction on the ground floor. His footsteps were silent as he ascended the steps, always keeping an eye out for other people. 

The second floor was not quiet as trashy as the first and Dean began to explore each room with his knife hanging in his hand by his side. He found each one empty but for some ratty, stained mattresses in several of them. Looking around trying to decide his next move, Dean spotted a vent at the end of the walkway and headed for it. It was an intake vent for the once heating and cooling units for the building. He used his knife to remove the screws and looked inside the opening. After fixing the screws so he could hang the vent cover over it, he tossed his pack inside, crawled in behind it and pulled the vent cover back in place. 

He only crawled a short distance until he found an intersection that was large enough for him to sit up. He looked around the space and figured it would serve his purpose for a few days at least. It was fairly clean and big enough for him to sleep in and safe from any unwanted attention. Being within the system the air was cooler and didn’t have that rotten, urine scented odor wafting in the air like the building itself did. He went back out and found an empty paint can to use as a bathroom while he was in the vent.

Dean unpacked his bag and sorted out how much food he had left and water. He made a pile of dirty clothes versus his clean ones deciding he could go another week before needing to find a laundry mat. He put the gun, bullets and cash in a separate pile along with his maps. Dean decided the first things he needed to get were a watch so he would know the time and a calendar so he would know the date and day of the week. 

After throwing a bed together, Dean ate his last power bar and finished off his water before lying down. He planned on going out in the morning and restocking enough for a couple of days before looking for another place to crash. The metal piping wasn’t very comfortable, but Dean finally drifted off to sleep. Dark faces invaded his thoughts as the two monsters that abused him danced around making him moan softly and twitch in his sleep as he rolled over. He tried to push the unwanted images from his mind thinking of the one thing that gave him comfort, his baby brother. 

spn

Trevor rolled over in his sleep and mumbled trying to catch the dream he was loosing. Before he could claim it again another image pushed into his mind of the boy he come to think of as a friend. He could sense a change in him and felt different emotions than before. He could tell there was something that was being hidden from him but didn’t know what. Trevor's six year old mind was still too young to really understand all that he was feeling. He just knew this boy needed him and tried to make the connection stronger but was pushed away before he could. He didn’t understand this and tried again only to lose the connection all together. Trevor woke from this dream with tears in his eyes that slipped down his cheek. 

“I wanna help.” he whispered softly into the darkness not knowing if he was heard or not. “Please let me.” 

The darkness was quiet in his bedroom not revealing any other visions to him so he finally turned over and settled deeper into his covers to try and go back to sleep. He hoped the boy would try to reach him again in his dreams. Knowing he was still out there and alive gave him some comfort at least. He didn't know what had happened to the boy but he knew it was bad and had been painful for him.


	15. Chapter 15

Over three weeks had passed since Dean came to Grand Island and he was learning very quickly the ins and outs of street life. He found out fast that it was best to be where he wanted to be before darkness fell. The streets at night were dangerous, especially for someone his age. He was afraid to go to any shelter for fear of being questioned as a runaway and the cops getting involved discovering his connection to the fire. He had found a branch library and went in to use their computers to search for any articles on the fire and to see if Tom had died. He found a write up about the fire and learned he had suffered a painful, horrid death. The article when on to talk about how he seemed like a model citizen and a pillar of the community but was hiding a deep dark secret from everyone, including his family. Everyone they talked to was shocked by the monster he was hiding behind closed doors. Dean felt no emotions as he read the article, except he was glad Tom had died. 

He could feel the darkness swirl around inside him when he saw Tom's picture beside the article. Dean tried to keep it under control, but sometimes it wanted to come to the surface no matter how hard he pushed to keep it down. It also told about the damning pictures he had left in the bedroom to be found. It looked like Tom's secret life was exposed and an investigation was in place to locate the boys in the pictures. The garage was a loss but the house only had minor damage. Dean was glad about this. Mattie, Hope and Seth would at least have a home, if they decided to stay there. Dean was sure they knew nothing about the monster Tom really was because he had learned to hide it so well. There was mention of his disappearance and a missing person's report had been filed. They were not sure if Tom had killed him or if he had ran away, but at least there was no mention of them thinking he set the fire. It seems they thought Tom had gone to sleep with a lit cigarette and that caused the fire. Dean closed the article and left the library heading back out onto the streets.

spn

The weather turned rainy and cooler for three days and Dean had been caught in a heavy downpour twice. He was coughing and felt warm as he walked down the alley trying to decide where to go since it was almost dark. He stopped at one dumpster behind a restaurant and used a crate to stand on to look inside for anything that might be salvageable to eat. Soft whistling caught his attention and he froze waiting for the person to go on by as he crouched in hiding. A cough worked its way up his throat and he tried his hardest to hold it in but wasn't successful and coughed out loud.

"Hello?" an older female voice called as she stopped beside the dumpster.

Dean remained perfectly still trying to judge his best means of escape when he coughed again. He saw the shadow walk closer and an older woman dressed in mismatched clothes looked around the corner at him. 

"Hello young man." she said giving Dean a kind smile. 

He didn't respond to her greeting at first until she continued to talk to him. Her voice was soft and gentle, it had no hint of being dangerous and she showed no signs of wanting to hurt him.

"Are you out here on your own?" she asked him waiting for a response. A soft whisper went through her mind telling her to help this boy. She looked around them to see if anyone was nearby before returning her gaze to him.

Dean nodded his head yes still not willing to talk to her as he slowly stood and tensed getting ready to flee if he needed to. He could feel the other side of him wanting to push forward as he gripped his knife tightly in his pocket but his light side wouldn't let it.

"Do you have a place to stay for the night?" she questioned and continued when he shook his head no. "Why don't you come with me? I know a place where you'll be safe and it's warm and dry. It sounds like you might have a cold or something. They call me Aunt Fay, you got a name?" 

The woman started to walk on down the alley pulling her cart but stopped when Dean didn't follow. She turned back to him and spoke again.

"Young man I've lived on the street for many years and I don't think you've been out here very long. Now I'm not going to hurt you if that's what you're afraid of, so why don't you come with me. If you don't like it you don't have to stay you know. It's not a prison or anything. You can at least have a hot meal."

Dean looked her over again not seeing anything that might be threatening and the idea of a hot meal did sound good. He was being careful with the cash he still had so he was maybe eating a hot meal only once or twice a week if then. What he would really like was a hot shower. He cleaned up as best he could in restrooms but it wasn't the same. Figuring he could get away from her if he felt threatened, Dean picked up his pack and shouldered it before stepping out from between the dumpsters and falling in step behind her keeping his distance. 

spn

Once Aunt Fay saw he was going to follow her, she turned and began to make her way on down the alley. He continued to follow her down several different alleys and through a couple of structures until she headed into an abandoned building. Dean looked around the place as he followed her deeper into the structure trying to remember if he had been in this part of the city yet. They went down a ramp to a lower level and stopped at a steel door. She rummaged around in her coat pockets until she pulled out a key and unlocked it. 

"Come on young man it's not far now." she motioned to Dean as she pulled the door open.

Dean hesitated for a moment trying to peer inside before actually stepping through the door. He watched her pull it closed behind them and locked it back. He stiffened at this and looked at her with wariness. 

“Don’t worry, this is for our protection, in no way does it mean you have to stay. I won’t ever lie to you son nor will anyone that is in my family. You just have to tell me you want to leave and you can go, no one will stop you.” Aunt Fay told him before continuing.

The rooms they went through were dusty but didn’t have any trash thrown around. One area had a large stack of pallets in one corner and part of them were broken apart with the wood stacked neatly. He studied the stacks for a moment trying to figure out what it could be used for before catching up with the woman. They continued through several more doors until the lower level opened up into a huge room that had people milling around. 

With wary eyes Dean took in the surroundings in front of him. The room was very large and laid out in sections. Along one wall were what looked like small individual rooms with doors. Another space had a long table with chairs around it and beyond that was an area set up for cooking. There was even an old beaten up fridge sitting nearby. Over on the other side were ratty couches and chairs and a radio that was playing music. He saw a bookcase beside the radio that had hardback and paperback books. He was amazed that this was down here under the town and he was sure that the people above didn't know about it.

"Aunt Fay here let me help." a young guy told her taking over pulling the cart. 

"Thank you Jeremy, you can take it to the cooking area." she told him. 

"Hi, I'm Jeremy." the young man spoke to Dean before taking the cart over to corner of the room not waiting for an answer.

"So what's your name young man?" Aunt Fay asked again.

"Dean." he said loud enough for her to hear.

"Well Dean, let me show you where you can put your things." she told him walking down toward the end of the row of rooms. "This should suit your needs." 

Dean stepped up to look into a small room that had a small cot against one wall and a table and chair beside it. It looked clean and inviting compared to where he had been staying the past weeks.

"Dean this is Sarge and Preacher." she introduced two large men who strolled over to them.

Dean looked the two over as a hint of fear sweep over him and the darkness came to light for a brief moment before being tapped down. Sarge was a tall, large muscled black man wearing fatigues with a thin, pink scar running down one cheek and Preacher was a white man just a little smaller than Sarge, but every bit as imitating. He figured they had been in some kind of military service, they just had the look. They looked at Dean and nodded their greeting before speaking to Aunt Fay.

“Everything ok out there?” Sarge asked her.

“It’s fine, no troubles and I got some nice vegetables for soup tonight and some rolls.”

“That sounds good, I’ll go get started on it.” Preacher told them heading over to where Jeremy was still unloading the cart.

“Could you show Dean around for me?” she asked Sarge. “My feet need a rest before dinner.” she said going into another room. “Oh and I think Dean may need some medicine for a cough and maybe a fever.”

“Come on Champ.” Sarge growled out. “There’s a bathroom over here with a shower. Towels are in the basket by the door. We eat over here and cook.” he continued leading him over to where Preacher and Jeremy were sorting the food Aunt Fay brought back. “We each have a room that’s private, so don’t think about stealing anything.” 

“I’m not a thief.” Dean told him staring boldly, daring him to say otherwise.

“Good then you shouldn’t have any problems. Everyone that lives here has respect for each other. Aunt Fay is our leader, you do what she says.” he instructed him taking no offense in his response. "Come on over here and let's see about some medicine for you." he continued reaching a hand out to lay on his shoulder.

“Yes sir.” Dean replied jerking back from his grasp before he could touch him as a darkness passed over his face.

“Respectful, I like that, most kid’s your age don’t have that. Sit.” he ordered pointing to a chair by a locked cabinet. He saw the shadow cross Dean's face but didn't question it. They all had their own personal reasons for being homeless and for being here, no one pressed the other for their story.

Dean did as he was told, not out of fear but out of respect. He watched Sarge unlock the cabinet and pull out a thermometer and shook it before holding it out to Dean.

“Let’s see if you have a fever, put this in your mouth under your tongue.”

Dean accepted the thermometer and put it in his mouth under his tongue and watched as Sarge looked through bottles of medicine. He waited patiently until Sarge nodded and handed him back the thermometer but not before coughing hard.

“Hm-m 99.9, slight fever and cough. How old are you?” he commented putting the thermometer into a bath of alcohol. 

“Eleven and a half.”

“Here take these for the fever and this at bedtime for the cough, two teaspoons.” Sarge held out his large hand with two pills in it and a small bottle of liquid cough medicine in the other. Dean looked at the offerings before him and up at the scarred face of Sarge before accepting them. He dry swallowed the pills and held on to the cough medicine for later. 

“Do you want something to drink?” 

“No, but could I take a shower?” he asked cautiously. 

“Go ahead, Preacher won’t have dinner ready for another hour.” he replied locking the cabinet back and turning to leave.

spn

Dean went back to the room Aunt Fay showed him and set the medicine on the small table then pulled out clean clothes from his pack. He put the pack under the bed before heading to the bathroom. He looked around the bathroom seeing two stalls and two sinks and through another door he found a shower stall. He grabbed a towel from the basket and stepped into the room closing the door and locking it. He shed his dirty clothes and turned the water on anxious to step under the spray. There was shampoo and soap in the shower and he was going to make good use of it. The warm water felt like heaven as he stepped under the spray. It was so good to wash the last three weeks of dirt and grim off his body and feel clean again. 

He wasn’t sure how they had these luxuries down here but he wasn’t going to question it. Not wanting to use too much water, he quickly washed and got out drying himself on the towel before putting on clean clothes. He gathered his dirty ones and deposited them in his room. Pulling his pack back out from under the bed, Dean pulled out two cans of chicken chunks and looked at them trying to decide if he should share or not. Thinking it would be a wise move; he headed out into the large room and made his way over to Preacher. 

“Hey kid.” Preacher said as he stirred something in a big pot that was sitting on a makeshift stove made out a fifty gallon barrel. It had a vent pipe going up into the ceiling allowing the smoke to escape and there was wood stacked to the side from pallets that had been broken down. Now he understood the reason for the other wood in the other room.

“Thought you could use these.” Dean said holding out the two cans.

“Thanks kid.” he said accepting the offering and looking at them. “Hey these will be good in the soup.” 

Dean stood back and looked around to see other people sitting around the room. He counted at total of ten people, eleven counting Aunt Fay who was lying down. They were of various ages and race. Some were talking among themselves and others were playing cards or checkers and two were sitting on a couch reading books. 

“You can meet the others at dinner.” Preacher commented glancing over at Dean with curiosity. “Want to help?”

“Sure.” Dean replied.

“Can you get the bowls off the shelve over there for me? We need twelve.” 

“Alright.” 

Dean went over to a rack and counted out the bowls taking six at a time and sitting them where Preacher could reach them. He went back for the others doing the same thing. There was a tray of silverware he also brought over. The bowls and silverware were a mismatch assortment brought at thrift stores. He watched Preacher add the two cans of chicken meat to the big pot and stir it before putting a lid on it to simmer. 

“How long you been on the streets kid?” 

“Almost a month.” Dean answered deciding there was no reason not to tell him.

“Where’s your folks?”

“My Mom’s dead and my Dad disappeared.” 

“So you were in the system, didn’t find a foster home?”

Dean stiffened with the question and a look of anger crossed his face as the wall went up before he turned and headed back into his room. Preacher watched him deep in thought wondering what had happened to him. He could only imagine something pretty bad went down that he was still trying to deal with on his own. He understood his hesitation about not wanting to talk about what had happened to put him on the streets. 

spn

Dean sat down on his bed and looked out the door watching some of the people walk over to Preacher and talk to him. He laughed at a comment and shook his head. He stirred the soup again and took a spoon to taste it before taking bowls and dipping out portions. Dean could smell the aroma and his stomach began to rumble but he was stubborn, he wanted to go back out there, but felt like an outsider.

“Come on Dean, dinner’s ready. Let’s go eat while it’s hot.” Aunt Fay called to him from the doorway. She waited as he tried to decide, but his hunger got the best of him and he joined her shying away when she started to pat his shoulder. She studied him as he walked away toward the table already knowing he was a complex young man.

“Come on everyone.” Preacher called to the others. “Grab a bowl and spoon and take a seat.” 

Everyone stopped what they were doing and made their way to where the steaming bowls of soup waited on them. 

A/N: Any comments are welcome. I do like to know what my readers think of the stories. NC


	16. Chapter 16

Dean was the last to take a bowl of soup and spoon from the counter. He looked toward the table and saw everyone had already taken a seat. He stood there uncertain what to do; he started back to his room away from everyone when Aunt Fay spoke up.

“Everyone, this is Dean.” Aunt Fay announced to the table as the noise quieted. “You can make your introductions after we eat, come Dean you can sit beside me.” she waved to a chair beside her as she moved down to make room for him on the corner.

Carrying his bowl to the table, he sat at the end of the table as far away from the others as he could. He saw them looking at him and felt uncomfortable being the center of attention. He didn't look anyone directly in the eye as he quickly glanced around the table.

“Ok, grace and we shall eat.” she told them waiting for all heads to be bowed. Aunt Fay looked at Dean waiting for him to do the same. Once he did Aunt Fay began to pray. “Bless this food that we have been given and guide us along our way. Amen.” 

The clinking of spoons against the bowls was the only noise in the room as everyone ate. Dean accepted a piece of bread and dipped his spoon in the soup taking a bite. The delicious taste exploded in his mouth and he quickly took another with a bite of bread.

“Very good Preacher.” Aunt Fay commented. “You can make anything tasty.”

“Thank you and thank Dean for the chicken in the soup, his contribution.” Preacher replied.

“Why thank you Dean, that was kind of you.” Aunt Fay praised him.

Dean shrunk smaller as he felt all the eyes around the table turn and look at him again. He kept looking down at his soup and spooned more into his mouth. After a minute, casual conservation started between some of them around the table and he was ignored again which suited him fine. The meal was finished and two of the residents gathered the dirty dishes to wash them. Preacher had a large pot of boiling water ready for that purpose. They had two dish pans that they divided the water between before adding cold water to one so they could wash all the dirty dishes. The rinse water was left hot and the girl used gloves to get the clean dishes out and put in a strainer to dry. Dean was surprised at how clean and neat the place really was for it to be homeless people living here.

spn

“Hello Dean I’m Stacey.” one of the middle age women said to Dean. “You’ve met Sarge, Preacher and Jeremy.” 

“Hello.” Dean said to her trying to be polite.

“The two washing dishes are Shane and Esmee and over there are Ollie, Mitch, Jack, Mia, Stacey and Ally.” she introduced the others to him. "Welcome to our home." she added before walking away.

Dean looked at each person in turn as she made the introductions. Shane and Esmee looked like they might be a couple to Dean but he wasn't sure. Ollie, he was sure had Down’s Syndrome but seemed to function pretty good and Ally, there was something about her, but he wasn’t sure what. They all seemed like nice people but Dean was not letting his guard down around them and if something started not feeling right he was leaving. 

“Hi Dean, wanna play checkers?” Ollie asked shyly while fidgeting with his fingers and giving Dean an innocent look. Even though he was older and taller than Dean, he acted more his age mentally.

“Sure.” he smiled to Ollie and moved to a small table that had a checkers board and pieces on it. Ollie set up the board and they began to play. Ally came over and watched for one game before wandering off to sit on the couch and listen to the music humming to herself lost in her own world.

“I won!” Ollie cried happily clapping his hands together in delight his face beaming. 

“I’m going to get some water.” Dean told him getting up and heading into the kitchen area. "We'll play again later ok."

"Ok Dean, you're nice." Ollie said setting up the board again in case someone else wanted to play.

“That was nice of you Dean.” Aunt Fay whispered to him knowing he lost the game on purpose.

“Wasn’t anythin'.” he mumbled.

“To Ollie it was. He was abandoned by his family when he was young and bounced around in the system until he turned eighteen. I found him on the streets several years ago and brought him here to live. The same with Ally, she has autism but can function with a little guidance. Sarge and Preacher are Veterans with PTSD. They couldn’t seem to fit back into society after the war. They were the ones that helped me fix this place up so we could stay here. They also keep the peace here and on the streets around us, if there's any problems in here or with outsiders they handle it. Esmee was abused by her husband and was almost beat to death. She had no one after she escaped him. She was being attacked when I chased them off and brought her here to stay. Several others just found the world out there was too much for them and disappeared into the streets. Couple lost everything with the crash and had nowhere to go. We all have our stories or secrets as to why we ended up here. I guess you could say I gathered all these lost souls so they wouldn’t be alone. We all need someone who cares for us and makes us feel safe and wanted.” she said watching Dean closely as she saw him shut down not wanting to share his story. 

“I think I’ll go lay down.” Dean said excusing himself.

“There’s a lamp you can use over there on the cabinet, we only have lights in this area.” she told him. “Sarge and Preacher got it all set up for us, they’re really clever with that type of thing. They tapped into some live wires and set up a junction box or something like that. Same with the water, it's not hot but warm enough to bathe in. We've got what we need to survive down here. We are some of the lucky ones that have been able to make it work.”

“Thanks.” Dean nodded going over to the cabinet. He took a match from the box by the lamp and lit it before heading into his bedroom. The oil lamp gave off enough light that Dean could see easily as he pulled his pack out to get his toothbrush and paste. He didn’t realize how good it felt to be clean until he couldn’t take a bath when he wanted. The past weeks had opened his eyes to the hardships of the homeless population of the country. He saw how they were invisible to most people who tried to ignore their suffering. Dean headed into the bathroom and relieved himself before brushing his teeth. 

Dean sat the lamp on the table and closed the door to the room. He took the chair and wedged it under the knob to stop access to the room. It wasn’t much but it made him feel better. He looked at the small bottle of cough medicine and popped the little measuring cup off and poured two teaspoons downing it in one gulp. Dean frowned at the taste but hoped it would let him sleep easier. He slipped out of his shoes and jeans and put on a pair of sweats to sleep in. He pulled the covers back and got under them but not before putting his knife under his pillow. The cot wasn’t much but it felt like heaven to him as he listened to the different sounds around him while drifting off to sleep.

spn

“No!” Dean screamed trying to throw his body over Billy’s to protect him from the belt. He felt the stinging strike as it fell onto his trembling back making him groan in pain and clench his jaw so tight he thought it would break. He never cried out or made any noise if he could help it; he didn't want to give the monster the satisfaction. Sometimes it made it worse and he would beat him until blood ran in thin streams down his back. When it got that bad, Dean usually passed out from the pain and would wake to find himself thrown into his room on the floor.

“Dean please, you can’t save me, let me go.” Billy told him stepping back from him. 

“Billy please, I have to protect you.” Dean cried out trying to reach him. Dean watched as Billy started to fade and the room was replaced by another room that made his blood run cold.

“You’re so going to enjoy this, need to get you broken in good.” Tom crooned to him as he ran his hands down his naked body leaving a trail of fingernail marks. Dean tried to breathe as his chest constricted making it hard to pull the air into his lungs. He screamed in fear as he found his voice while trying to fight him off.

“Dean! Dean!” a male voice yelled to him as pounding on the door brought him out of his nightmare. 

Dean sat up and looked at the shaking door panting trying to remember where he was.

“Hey kid you ok?” Preacher called through the door. "Open up."

Dean got up on wobbly legs and went to the door to remove the chair and open it up to see Sarge and Preacher standing there the light of a lamp showing the concern on their faces. They saw the knife in his hand and the dark shadow that was in his eyes.

“You were screaming, nightmare?” Sarge asked softly knowing all about nightmares himself.

“Sarge he ok?” Aunt Fay asked from behind them. 

“I’m ok.” Dean said trying to keep the fear from his voice as he drew in deep breaths to calm his racing heart.

“Son, there’s no one here that will hurt you.” Sarge told him eyeing the chair and the knife. “They’ll have to come through Preacher and me first.” he added kneeling down so Dean could see his face easier making sure Dean knew he meant it. "You're safe here Dean."

“We've got your back.” Preacher added. "You have any trouble with anyone, in here or out there, you come to one of us. We will handle it."

“It’s ok everyone, go on back to sleep.” Aunt Fay told the others who had gathered to see what was going on. “Dean would you like some warm milk or water?”

“Maybe water.” he croaked out leaning against the doorframe as he knees trembled.

“You go on back to bed, I’ll bring you some.” she said turning to get some water. “Go on, he’ll be ok.” she told the soldiers patting their arms motherly knowing how kind hearted they were, especially toward the young ones.

spn 

Dean went back to his bed and sat down. The darkness enveloped him and he looked toward the door where soft light was filtering in helping to calm his mind. He sent the darkness back down in the corner of his soul for now. He felt his stomach to be sure there were no scratch marks on it from the nightmare. It had seemed so real, but he knew it was in his dreams. Aunt Fay returned with a glass of water. She sat her lamp on the table and pulled the chair over to the bed so she could sit beside him but not close enough to touch him. She sensed that was the last thing he needed at the moment. 

“Here you go Dean, drink it slow.” she told him holding out the glass.

Dean accepted the glass and took several sips letting the water wet his dry throat. He took one more swallow before pausing.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake everyone.” he whispered looking down at the glass.

“Sweetie, it’s ok. You’re not the first one to do that and probably won’t be the last. We’ve all had our demons invade our dreams; it’s nothing to be ashamed of. I know you just met us, but if you need to talk about it...” she trailed off knowing better than to try and force the issue.

“I’m fine.” he mumbled handing back the glass.

“Alright then I’ll let you get back to sleep. Dean, don’t let this control you, fight it. I can tell you have a strong aura around you, we are here if you need to talk anytime.” she said getting up and putting the chair by the table. “You are safe here.” she emphasized before heading out of the room leaving the door slightly opened too allow a sliver of light to shine into the room.

Dean sat on the bed trying to decide whether to put the chair back or not. He looked at the chair and then the door mulling over what to do. Finally, he laid back down and gripped the knife tightly in one hand while staring at the door until sleep overtook him again. He didn't sense the angelic present standing by his bed that looked down at him while he slept. The nightmares stayed away for the rest of the night and Dean slept peacefully.


	17. Chapter 17

Clanging and talking woke Dean the next morning as he rolled over to see movement through the crack in the door. He stretched and got up to close the door so he could put on his jeans and change tee shirts. He slipped his knife into his jeans back pocket before stepping out of the room. Laughter from the sitting area caught his attention and he saw Ollie doing something with Stacey. 

"Dean breakfast is ready, come on get a bowl, we have oatmeal with bananas." Preacher called to him as he filled bowls for breakfast. "You can have juice or milk to drink."

"Thank you." he replied taking a bowl and pausing at the counter long enough to pour some milk. He walked to the table trying to decide where to sit.

"Dean!" Ollie called happily. "Come sit by me." he waved to him from the end of the table.

Dean smiled and made his way toward him. The young man had a big grin on his face as he pulled the chair beside him out. He knew this guy had really taken a liking to him.

"I saved this seat for you." 

"Thanks Ollie." 

"Do you like bananas in your oatmeal too? I do, sometimes we have strawberries when Aunt Fay can get them." he said spooning up a big spoon of his oatmeal. 

"Hello." Ally said sitting down on the other side of Dean. She sat her bowl down and arranged her spoon, glass and napkin methodically around it adjusting them ever so slightly before beginning to eat. 

“Hi.” he answered. Dean watched her closely, trying not to stare as she began to eat her oatmeal. She had a routine all her own that might have been odd to most, but was normal for her. She took small bites laying her spoon down after each bite to wipe her mouth before eating another spoon full. With every third bite, she sipped her milk before taking three more bites. Dean noticed she never really looked at you when she talked to you. She would stare over your head or look to the side never wanting to look you in the eye.

“Dean can you help Stacey with the dishes this morning? Sarge, Preacher and Shane need to get to work.” Aunt Fay asked.

“Yes.” he told her. “They work?”

“For today, it’s a day to day thing, but it helps buy things we can’t get otherwise. Mia works as a waitress a couple days a week and Jack, Mitch and Jeremy do odd jobs where they can find them. We all pitch in where we can. Stacey takes Ollie and Ally with her to help on laundry day and keeps the place clean. When the weather is nice, one of us takes Ollie and Ally to the park or library. Do you want to come with me today, I have some pick ups to make. I‘ll wait until you‘re done.”

“Alright.” he said finishing his oatmeal and getting up to take his bowl to the kitchen where Stacey was dividing the hot water between to pans to wash and rinse the dishes with. He was impressed with how organized they kept everything and how they all pitched in to do their part. 

spn

“Some of the restaurants let me have food they’re going to throw away and a small grocery store let’s me have all the over ripe fruit and vegetables since we usually use it before it will go to waste.” Aunt Fay explained to Dean as they walked down the back allies near the business district. “Oh and here.” she said handing him a key on a chain. “This is for the door so you can come and go as you please. I’m thinking you’ll be staying with us for a while maybe?”

“Yes, I think I would like that.” Dean told her as they continued to walk toward the restaurants. He slipped the necklace over his head and let it fall under his tee shirt. Yes, he thought he had found a safe haven for a while where no one really questioned where you were from or why you ended up on the streets. It seemed all of Aunt Fay's mismatched family was respectful of each other and was willing to help where needed. He wasn't sure how it work, but they meshed together as a well oiled machine.

Dean waited in the alley as Aunt Fay went in the back entrance of several places and came out with boxes of food. She stacked them in the cart that Dean was pulling for her and they continued to another section of town where the smaller stores were. There they got fruit and vegetables and day old bread. Aunt Fay also went into the store and bought powdered milk, sugar, oatmeal and rice. Once everything was put in the cart, they headed back to their home. He noticed other homeless they encountered didn't bother them or try to take what they had. He was sure it had something to do with Preacher and Sarge.

spn

"Do you think we're doing the right thing letting Trevor skip a grade?" Emily asked her husband as they got ready for bed.

"We talked to the counselor about it, she thought Trevor would be fine. I mean we never dreamed he would be this smart and mature at this age." Josh replied. "How can we not let him reach his highest potential. It would be wrong to hold him back."

"You're right hon, Trevor will be fine. He's such a amazing kid."

"That he is. Now let's get some sleep, Danny will be up early." he said sliding under the covers.

"I was afraid that Trevor might be jealous of Danny but he is so good with him." she replied turning off the bedside lamp. "He even sings to him but I don't know why he picked a Beatles song."

"Mm-mm love you."

"Love you too."

spn

Over the next few months, Aunt Fay showed Dean the best places to get food, where the better thrift stores were, where food pantries that gave out free food were and the churches that had used clothes for free. She showed him areas to avoid around the town that were dangerous for the homeless because of gang violence. Most of the homeless knew the gang territory and steered clear of it and the gangs usually left them alone. Dean fell into a routine of helping out where he could since he was the youngest there, he couldn‘t go out and try to get work. He helped Stacey when it was laundry day and continued to help Aunt Fay when she went on pickups. He continued to watch Ollie and Ally, forming a close bond with them. Mia and Stacey were continuing his schooling along with teaching Ollie and Ally. Dean still wouldn’t talk about what had happened to him and still had occasional nightmares about it. He had found all the libraries around the town and visited them checking out the free books and magazines to replenish their bookcase. He tried to find books and magazines for Ollie and Ally when possible to give them new things to read or look at.

spn

Dean was pulling the cart following Aunt Fay as they headed back to their home. Their pickups had been made and they got some good items today. When they passed by a park, Dean stopped and looked around the playground at all the young boys playing. He studied each child's face searching for that familiar face.

"Dean, something wrong?" Aunt Fay asked when she noticed Dean wasn't following her but was staring intently at the kids playing.

"No, nothing." he sighed looking away from the kids.

"Were you looking for someone?"

"My little brother, Sam." he finally said turning away. "We were separated when I was five and he was a year old."

"Oh Honey, I'm sorry that happened to you. Is he your only family?"

"Yes and I promised him I'd find him."

"And I think you will, you just have to have faith." she encouraged placing a tentative hand on his arm knowing how he felt about being touched.

Dean looked at the hand but didn’t pull away at first. He stood for a moment before adjusting his grip on the cart and began to walk on by the park. Aunt Fay smiled sadly at the boy and moved to catch up. She could see how complex the boy was and prayed for him each night that he would find what he was searching for.

spn

Dean looked up from his reading when Sarge and Preacher came in from work. They had got to work three days this week and that meant there would be a food run in the next day or so. He stood as they walked by trying to get his nerve up to talk to them.

“Hey Champ.” Sarge called to him. 

“Hi.” Dean replied getting up to follow him to the kitchen standing there fidgeting as he got up the nerve to ask him a question.

“Want something?” 

“Yes, can you teach me to fight?” Dean asked quietly not looking up until Sarge answered.

“Hand to hand or with weapons?” 

“I can show you how to use a knife.” Preacher told him when he heard the question. “Do you have one?”

“Yes.” Dean said pulling out the knife from his back pocket. 

“Ok not bad, wouldn’t hurt to have a throwing knife.” he said pulling a small knife from his boot to show him. Dean looked at the knife carefully and handed it back to him.

“Yes, I want to learn everything I can.” Dean told them. 

“Why the need for training?” Sarge questioned.

"Thought it would be handy." he said not looking at either of them.

"Wanna give me the real reason?" Sarge asked arching an eyebrow and waiting for an answer.

“I want to be able to protect myself while I search for my little brother, Sammy. He was adopted about six years ago and I need to find him, I made him a promise we‘d be together again.”

Sarge studied the boy for a moment seeing the determination in his stance and eyes. He looked over at Preacher who was leaning against the counter listening quietly to the conservation. He nodded to Sarge that he was in before Sarge answered.

“Alright let me wash off and we’ll start.” Sarge said heading for the bathroom.

“How much does a throwing knife cost?” he asked Preacher.

“Good one, probably twenty-five dollars or so.”

“If I get the money will you get me one?” 

“Yes, the Army/Navy Surplus store will probably have one.” 

“I’ll get you the money.” 

“Alright Champ come on, let’s go outside in a more open area.” he told him leading him to the area outside their home. The room was large and empty with plenty of room for them to spar in. Preacher followed them out and stood to the side to watch and add his two cents where needed. “Have you ever fought before?”

“I had some martial arts training for nearly two years a while back.” Dean told him. 

“Good so you have some basic knowledge.” Sarge said. “What I’m going to show you is not taught in a class. It’s street fighting, it can be dirty and could save your life one day.” 

“Alright.” Dean said shaking his body slightly as he prepared himself.

“Now first rule, don’t let your opponent see your fear. I’m not saying not to be afraid, just don’t let the other person know. Rule two, size your opponent up if you can, find their weaknesses use it to your advantage.” Sarge continued with his lesson. “Now let me see your stance.” 

Dean planted his feet slightly apart and raised his hands in front of his body tensing to protect it. He let the darkness come forward giving him a sense of control and strength. He felt more powerful and confident when he let his darkness guide him.

“Not bad, but don’t tense up, relax. Here let me show you, Preacher if you will.” Sarge called to him with a wave of his hand. He saw the change in Dean’s face as it hardened with concentration and determination.

“No problem.” Preacher replied stepping up to him.

Dean watched both men and noticed how relaxed they seemed to be without really being relaxed. Suddenly, without warning they lunged at each other, both throwing punches and fending them off. It was almost like they were dancing in front of his eyes. Dean stepped back and watched in amazement before they stopped and turned to him. 

“Wow.” he mumbled looking between the two men. 

“Now let’s start with some basic anatomy about the human body. There are certain places on the human body that will disable a person long enough for you to run. Foremost Dean if you can run, do it, don’t engage unless you have to.” Sarge told him.

The lesson lasted for nearly an hour before Sarge told Dean that was enough for the day and they would pick back up tomorrow around the same time. Dean thanked him and walked back in with them. Preacher went off to start some dinner and Sarge to take a shower. Dean gathered up his school work and started working on it. He was glad for this normalcy right now. After he finished his homework, he helped Ollie with his and helped him read until dinner was ready. Ally joined them and listened to Dean read from The Wizard of Oz. 

spn

"Get the ball Trevor!" the coach yelled as Trevor raced down the sideline after the boy who was moving the ball down the field. 

Trevor quickly took in the field before cutting the boy off and kicking the ball away from him. He got it under control and moved it down the field toward the goal. With the help of his team members he kept the ball in play and in one strong kick scored the winning goal in the last seconds of the game. 

Everyone cheered and congratulated Trevor as he searched in the crowd for his parents. He finally saw them and waved making his way to them.

“Trev you did good son, are you going to the pizza party with the others?” Josh asked patting his son on the back.

“Not today, I have some research I want to do at the library, is that ok?” 

“Of course, get your things together, we’ll head on home so you can shower and drop you at the library. Your Mom needed to run a couple of errands in town anyway.”

“Honey you were so good.” Emily praised him. “If you’re going to the library, we can have dinner out tonight, our on little celebration.” she suggested shifting Danny in her arms.

“Sounds good Mom.” Trevor answered gathering up his things so they could head to the car and home. He liked going out with the guys after a game when he didn’t have a project he was working on. Trevor could become obsessed with learning and wouldn’t stop until he understood all he could about a subject. Josh and Emily worried about him at times, but saw that was just his way and tried to support him all they could.

spn

Aunt Fay walked by thirty minutes later and smiled glad that the three youngest of their group were getting alone so well. She knew Dean was a special young man and had a lot to give. She only hoped that he would confide in someone about his pain before it beat him down. His nightmares were getting better and the others had accepted him into their group now. She was impressed at how resourceful Dean could be and how much he contributed to the group even thought he didn’t show it physically. He still didn’t allow anyone to touch him if it could be avoided. She could tell when he put up his wall shutting everyone out and she could feel a change in him when he felt threatened in any way. She hoped in time maybe that would change. Aunt Fay knew that Dean would move on one day for she knew he would continue his search for his brother. At least for the time being, she could give him the family and safety he needed to grow and mature.


	18. Chapter 18

The months past by quickly and winter had come to Nebraska with a vengeance. Aunt Fay had everyone stock up on what they could so they wouldn’t have to venture out in the storms that rolled through the town. With their home underground, the temperature was pretty constant and the hot water pipes running through the ceiling helped to keep it fairly comfortable for all. Stacey had got some new books for the bookcase and several workbooks for Dean to help in his schooling. He continued his training with Sarge and Preacher honing his skills. Dean had surrendered enough money to Preacher so he could get a throwing knife for him. Preacher was in luck and was able to get two throwing knives which he was showing him how to use.

Sarge and Preacher were both impressed at how fast Dean picked up on what they were teaching him. Dean could now throw a knife with accuracy and defend himself with one too. He could defend himself from an attacker, even if the person was bigger than him. Dean was pleased with himself at his progress and the temporary family he had found. He knew he would be moving on to another state, another town soon; when he didn’t know, but the time was coming. He could still feel an attachment at night when he relaxed and started to drift to sleep and his wall was at its weakest, he could see and feel his brother's soul, if only for a moment. Sammy would be eight on his next birthday. They had been apart seven years and it still seemed like yesterday that he was taken from Dean.

spn

Feeling restless, Dean bundled up and headed out to explore a section of the warehouses on the other side of town he hadn’t been in yet. He slipped in through a broken window on the ground floor and crept up a flight of stairs to the first level. He had learned to move in silence and unseen by anyone else that might be in same building. Voices caught his attention from deeper within the building. Dean eased up the stairs and climbed a ladder to the cat walk above the place. He crawled on his belly to where he could see what was transpiring on the floor below. 

Two groups of rough looking guys were facing each other. Dean could tell these were bad people he didn’t want to mess with. He couldn’t hear what they were saying but could tell by their body language and the guns he saw this was not going to turn out good by any means. He saw one guy hold open a gym bag and the other opened up a backpack. Heated voices filtered up to him when suddenly both sides opened up and started firing at each other. Dean made himself as small as he could and covered his ears to try and suppress the noise. Dean let the darkness come forward knowing it would help him with this situation. It seemed like ten minutes passed before the echoes of the shots finally died down and Dean carefully eased to the edge of the catwalk and looked down at the dead bodies lying around on the floor. He didn't see any movement from the ones he could see and listened intently for any moans or cries of pain as total silence filled the warehouse once again. He paused for a few more minutes while he got his racing heart and breathing under control. 

spn

Dean had never seen so much blood as he crept closer to the first body and started at the dead eyes of the guy. He swallowed hard as he forced himself to move closer to the other bodies. He paused to look into the duffle and saw bricks of some type of illegal drugs. Dean didn’t know much about that kind of thing just that it was dangerous and made people crazy or dead. He didn’t get close enough to check if they were dead, but it didn’t look like they were breathing and that was good enough for him. He made a wide arc around the last body and looked at the guys on the other side. It was still just as bloody and none of them were moving either. He walked over to the backpack that lay open when it fell and saw stacks of money lying around on the floor. Dean looked all around to be sure no one else was near before reaching down to snag a couple of stacks and stuff them in his jacket pockets before carefully backing away.

“Help me.” a weak voice called from behind some crates to his left. 

Dean froze with the man’s voice and looked toward the sound not sure whether to investigate or run. Something deep down in him pushed up telling him to help the guy.

“Please...” he whispered again. “Un’er...C’er...Cop.” he coughed, moaning in pain. 

Dean cautiously walked around the other bodies to the one lying partway behind the crate. It was a young guy dressed in biker clothes that had been shot in the side and leg. He was clutching his side as blood seeped between his fingers pooling in the floor beside him. 

“Call cops.” he grunted in pain trying to move. 

Dean stood there trying to fight with his mind on whether to help or flee. He didn’t want to get involved in what went down, but he also couldn’t leave this guy, a cop, to bleed out. Dean pulled a bandana from his jacket pocket and stepped closer watching him as he wrapped it around his leg wound and pulled it tight to control the bleeding. The man groaned in pain falling back on the floor and panting hard as Dean looked for something to staunch the blood flowing from his side. He found several rags lying in a box nearby and pressed them to the wound.

“Hold this on it while I go call the cops.” Dean told him pressing his hand back on the wound.

“Cell...jacket.” he hissed as he pressed the rags into his side and fumbled in his jacket pocket for the cell letting it fall down beside him.

Dean cautiously reached for the cell watching the guy to be sure he didn't lurch at him or try to hurt him. He flipped it open and dialed 911 waiting for it to be answered.

“There’s been a shooting; a cop is down send help to the warehouses off Eastman.” Dean said before laying the open phone beside him within his reach. “I can’t stay, they should be here soon.” he told the guy backing slowly away from him. Before the guy could say anything else, Dean turned and ran from the bloody scene as fast as he could. He hoped the guy would be ok, but he was not going to hang around to see. No way did he want the cops looking into his past and digging up anything about the fire. He slipped out of the building as sirens could be heard getting closer. He ran in the opposite direction away from them before checking the street signs so he could make his way back home.

spn

“Dean are you alright?” Aunt Fay asked as he ran into the room panting and looking disturbed.

“Can I talk to you?” he asked quietly pausing to catch his breathe. 

“What is it?” she asked leading him to his room and to his bed. “Tell me.”

Dean relayed everything that had happened while he was out exploring and the blood bath he had witnessed before pulling one of the stacks of cash from his pocket and giving it to her. Shivers ran up and down his body as his adrenaline high began to wear off and he made the darkness retreat. 

“I don’t know if you want this or not.” Dean said looking at the money in Aunt Fay’s hand. “But I don’t think the dead men will be needing it.”

Aunt Fay looked at the cash and flipped through it before looking up at him. 

“You know, this was going for something bad, but we can use it for something good. This will go a long way with buying some extra food, medicine and a couple of other things.” she decided. “Dean you did good helping the injured man, especially since he was police, but you need to be careful when you’re out there on the streets. I don’t think the cops will try and find you since it sounds like all the bad guys are dead, but still you were an eye witness to it.”

“I will, I promise.” Dean chattered wrapping his arms around his cold body. 

“Why don’t you get a warm shower and try to relax? Preacher has a nice stew going and we have cornbread.” she said getting up from the chair and pocketing the money. “It’s laundry day tomorrow so be sure you have your dirty clothes together.”

“I will.” Dean said pulling his pack from under the bed to get clean clothes. After Aunt Fay left his room he quickly slipped the other stack of cash into the bottom of his pack. He knew he needed to be prepared when it was time to leave and for some reason, deep down, Dean knew that was going to be soon. That cop could recognize him and he might bring trouble to the others. That was something he wouldn't allow if he could stop it. He didn't know if the cops knew about this place and he didn't want to be the reason that it was destroyed and they were forced to move.

spn

Aunt Fay took Preacher with her the next day to do some grocery shopping while Dean helped Stacey and Esmee gather the laundry and head for the laundry mat. Ollie came with them, but Ally stayed with Mia, Jeremy, and Jack. They were cleaning up their home while the others were out. Sarge, Mitch and Shane had picked up jobs for a week and had headed off to work. 

Laundry day was a big thing for them with so many people, and then there were all the towels and sheets, even if the sheets were only twins, it was still a lot of dirty laundry. They had an old shopping cart they used to carry the bags of dirty clothes to the laundry mat to help make it easier. Dean let Ollie carry the detergent and fabric softener in a backpack so he felt useful. He always tried to include Ollie in ways that made him feel that he was contributing to the family. 

“Dean can I have a soda?” Ollie asked as he looked longingly at the machine. 

“You know Aunt Fay doesn’t like you to have a lot of sweets.” Dean told him as he folded clothes.

“Please.” he begged giving him his best I’ve been good look.

“Alright, how ‘bout I get you an orange soda?” Dean finally conceded getting up and going to the machine. He pulled some change from his pocket and put the money in before pressing the button. Once the drink dropped, he took it out and opened it before giving it to Ollie. Ollie broke out into a huge grin as he eagerly accepted the soda. 

“Thank you Dean, I love you.” Ollie said taking a sip of orange soda. “Would you like some?” he offered Dean.

“No that’s ok, I’ll get one after I’m done folding this load.” he told him. “Wanna hand me the bag there?”

“Ok.” Ollie said picking up one of their empty laundry bags and holding it for him. 

“Girls, want a drink?” he asked them. Dean stacked the folded clothes into the bag and moved it to the side so Stacey could put another load of dry clothes to be folded in its place. 

“No thanks I’m good.” Stacey told him smiling softly at Ollie as he enjoyed his soda.

“I’ll take a water.” Esmee said as she put a load of wet clothes in the dryer.

“You got it.” Dean said going back to the machine and getting a water and soda. 

He passed the water to Esmee and opened his soda taking a long swallow before going back to folding clothes. It took them nearly half a day to get all the laundry washed, dried and folded, even using all the empty machines that were available. They always went early to have more empty machines to use. Dean really didn’t mind helping with the laundry, it made him feel useful and a part of this little homeless family.

spn

It was early afternoon when Dean and the others returned to their home. Aunt Fay and Preacher had gotten back with their supplies and the pantry was full for a change. They had picked up the free food from the Food Pantry along with plenty of canned and dry staples. They had gone by several thrift stores and added a few more pots and pans for cooking along with some new used clothes for everyone to go through. 

"Dean, honey, I picked you up some new jeans and tee shirts, I noticed the ones you're wearing are getting too little." she told him holding out a bag for him.

"Thanks Aunt Fay. I'll give ya some money later." Dean replied taking the bag and putting it in his room. He came back out and began to help Stacey and Esmee empty the laundry bags so the clothes could be sorted out for each person. 

"Alright, but it's not necessary." 

"Yes it is, I pay my way just like everyone else." he said sternly.

spn 

"Look Ally, I brought you an orange soda." Ollie said to Ally holding out the soda. "Dean let me get it myself."

"Thanks Ollie." Ally said taking the soda and sitting it on the table beside him. "Did you know that you can see colors coming from the radio?"

"Sometimes." Ollie replied sitting down beside her. "Not all songs make colors."

"I know." she agreed going back to reading a magazine and listening to the music.

"The slow ones make the prettiest colors." Ollie told her finding a magazine of his own to look at as he hummed quietly to himself. "They have the brightest colors just like a rainbow." 

"I like rainbows." Ally mumbled to herself.

 

A/N: Thank you to all who have continued to give me support for this story. Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter, please comment. NC


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: So this is an extra long chapter for everyone to enjoy. I’ve added a little more Sam in this one. Love to have you comment. NC

 

Dean couldn't believe it was a week before Christmas. Aunt Fay had taken Ollie and Ally out one night when the weather wasn't bad to see all the lights around the town. They stared at the displays and strings of lights in wonderment and their excited childlike behavior got the others in the spirit too. Sarge and Preacher found a small tree that they set up in the sitting room and Ollie and Ally help make decorations to go on it. Dean found some lights and Christmas balls at the Dollar Store and contributed that for the tree. Sarge's last job helped them buy a large turkey and ham for their Christmas meal. Preacher already had a menu planned out and was making sure he had everything he needed to fix it. Everyone was going around humming or singing Christmas tunes as the days past quickly. 

Mouth watering aromas drifted through the room as Preacher checked on the turkey and ham. Dean had been busy the past week checking out thrift stores for small gifts for Ollie and Ally. Aunt Fay told him the others made sure they had a couple of gifts to open Christmas morning at least and everyone else was good with not getting gifts. He found them hats for the cold weather, some books, puzzles and a few new games. He also picked up gloves, hats, scarves, and socks for everyone else. He figured they could choose what they wanted. He found one thrift store having a huge sale and got most of the items for little or nothing. The church’s Clothes Closet offered up a few choice things to add to the bounty. He found Aunt Fay a very nice warm sweater for the cold days ahead. 

“Alright everyone gather round.” Aunt Fay called clapping her hands. “Ollie, Ally it’s time to open your gifts my children.” she told them taking wrapped boxes out from under the small tree. 

“Oh Aunt Fay, they’re too pretty to open.” Ollie gushed running a hand over the decorative paper. 

“I know, but don’t you want to see what’s inside?” 

“Yes.” he said carefully pulling the tape loose and removing the paper without tearing it. He folded it up and placed it to the side before opening the box and cried with delight at what he got. 

Ally pulled the paper off her gifts a little more carelessly and smiled to herself with the gifts she got. They put on their new hats and paraded around happily. Dean offered his small gifts to each earning warm thanks and praise. None offered a hug or unnecessary touching knowing that he still didn’t like to be touched. Aunt Fay thanked him for her sweater before slipping it on. It fit perfectly and she beamed with happiness. 

Preacher called to them that lunch was ready as he sat the turkey on the table. They gathered around the table all eager to sample his dishes. The blessing was said and bowls were passed as Sarge carved the turkey and ham. All ate their fill and helped clean up afterwards. Once everything was put away and leftovers stored, they gathered in the sitting room to listen to the Christmas music. Most of them were ready for a nap after that meal and headed for their rooms while others relaxed on the couches in the sitting room. Dean helped Ollie with one of his puzzle books until they both started nodding off. He suggested to Ollie that they take a nap too. 

spn

“So Trevor did Santa bring you what you wanted?” Emily asked him as he lay the last present aside.

“Yes, this laptop will do nicely.” Trevor answered eager to start using it. “When can I get it hooked to the internet?” 

“The tech person is coming next week to put in a wireless modem and be sure that everything else is useable.” Josh told him. At times Josh thought you could almost see the wheels turning in their son’s head as he dissected a problem searching for an outcome. 

Emily and Josh were amazed at how advanced Trevor was over other children his age. They had to be careful buying his Christmas presents wanting to be sure they weren’t too simple for him. They found he loved the complicated Lego sets and would spend hours putting them together or logic puzzles was another one of his favorite past times. Trevor was going to turn eight in May and he had the working mind of a high school student and could solve complicated problems. 

Trevor began to gather his gifts to take to his room so he could sort them and decide what he wanted to do first. He was anxious to get his laptop on line so he could research subjects that he was interested in. He paused for a moment looking around his room searching for what he didn't know. It seemed he could feel a presence or something just out of peripheral vision watching him. The angel studied him closely as Trevor put his gifts down and sat on the edge of his bed to stare at him but not see him. The boy seemed to be progressing along well and his instincts were getting sharper.

"Is anyone there?" Trevor asked softly. "I'm not afraid."

The angel brushed a finger down his cheek and a whish of wings left the boy to his gifts. Trevor felt a warm touch and a slight breeze ruffled his hair as whatever was with him left. He sighed sadly wanting to understand the things he sensed and hoped one day he could figure it all out.

spn

Dean lay in bed and thought about his little brother hoping he had a nice Christmas. He let his mind drift looking for that familiar brightness in the universe around him. Their souls touched with a gentle feather like brush and both felt the warmth and comfort they each gave the other. It didn’t last long but as Dean turned over and blinked in the darkness, he at least knew he was still alive and out there somewhere waiting for him. 

“I’m here bro, we will be reunited some day, I’ll never give up or forget you.” Dean whispered into the blackness wanting nothing more than to believe what he was saying. He gripped the baby blanket that was under his pillow and fingered the softness. The more time that passed, the more the seed of doubt began to grow in his mind. He fought hard to keep it trimmed back and never letting hope die in him. Even thought he didn’t want to think about it, he wondered if he had the right to disrupt Sam’s life. From what he could tell by their connections, he was safe and happy. What did he really have to offer him? He didn’t have a real home and he was too young to get a job, so how could he support both of them. Dean closed his eyes and with an image of his brother in his mind, he drifted to sleep.

spn

January came and went and Dean turned twelve. He never told anyone about his birthday since he didn’t feel like celebrating. Birthdays to him were just another day like any other and he didn’t want the unwanted attention it would bring to him. What he didn’t know was that others picked up on his mood change and gave him a wide berth. He kept pretty much to himself except when he trained with Sarge and Preacher who noted his intensity was heightened well beyond what it usually was. They looked at each other relaying a silent message of concern. 

“That was good today Dean, you’ve come a long way since we first started.” Sarge praised him before ending the training session. “Anything on your mind you wanna talk about?”

“Not really.” Dean mumbled taking a towel to wipe his sweaty face. 

“If you do wanna talk sometime you know Preacher or I are good listeners.” 

“Okay.” he replied glancing their way before heading back inside. “Gonna go get a shower.” 

“That kid’s carrying some heavy baggage with him.” Preacher commented after Dean was out of ear shot.

“I know. Too bad he won’t let someone help. Have you noticed the change in him when he starts fighting, it’s like another person takes over.” 

“You saw that too. Yeah that kid sure is complicated for one so young. Don't know what his story is, but I hope he will let someone in someday. Well I need to go start dinner.” 

“Need help?”

“No, it’s handled.” 

spn

The weather was finally changing and spring was beginning to show in the town. Dean was walking around in the park looking at the trees starting to bud and flowers sticking their heads out of the dirt thirsting for the sun so they could bloom. A feeling deep down in his gut told him it was time for him to move on. He didn’t want to leave this home that had found him, but whatever this urge was he needed to obey it. He would search his maps tonight and decide where he was heading before packing his things and telling everyone good-bye. He knew they would want him to stay, but his brother was still out there and he felt if he didn’t leave now his chances of finding him were going to shrink drastically. He paused at the playground and watched the kids playing searching each boy’s face for the one in his dreams. Sammy was out there and he was going to find him. Dean was in his own world not noticing the guy that was walking toward him. 

“Hey kid.” a male voice called breaking him from his trance. 

Dean looked up and his eyes widened in shock to see the guy from the warehouse walking toward him. Not caring what he wanted, Dean made a break for it running as fast as he could through the park and into the business district. He could hear the guy calling to him but didn’t stop long enough to catch what he was saying. All he knew was he was a cop and he couldn’t let himself get caught. He finally slowed as he blended in with the crowd and ducked down a familiar alley to head back home. That settled it for him, he needed to leave this town before he was spotted again and possibility caught next time.

spn

The office assistant made her way quietly into the classroom and whispered to the teacher for a few minutes and they both glanced up toward the boy sitting in the front row working diligently on his test. The teacher got up and went to the student to speak with him.

“Trevor, gather your things and go with Ms. Laurens to the office. Your Dad’s coming to pick you up.” she informed him. 

“But I’ve not finished my test.” he replied looking up to the teacher. 

“That’s fine, you can finish it when you come back.” she told him taking the test and waiting for him to gather his books.

Trevor followed Ms. Laurens to the office wondering why his Dad was picking him up early from school. He saw him through the office window waiting for him.

“Dad is something wrong?” 

“Come on son we need to get home.” Josh told him steering him out the door.

“Is Mom and Danny okay?”

“Yes Trevor, they’re fine.” 

“But something’s wrong what is it?” Trevor persisted sensing the sadness surrounding his father.

“It’s your Nana and Papa Worsham, your Mom’s parents, there’s been an accident and both of them died.” Josh said gently not sure how Trevor would handle it. They had not had anyone close to them pass away. 

Trevor leaned back in the car seat and thought about what his Dad told him. Nana and Papa Worsham lived a little over three hours from them in the next state over. He remembered seeing them more when he was younger and when Danny was born, but they still visited often. Nana smelled of flowers and springtime and Papa had a hint of peppermint on him that brought back memories of warm hugs and sugar cookies. They had taken him to the zoo and to the park and spoiled him with the greatest little gifts. He remembered they treated him more like an adult than anyone else. It was like they could see how special he was. This was Trevor’s first experience with losing someone close to him and he was trying his best to process his feelings about it. 

“You ok Trev?”

“Yes, I’ll miss them.” he said as tears welled up in his eyes and he looked out the window trying to come to terms with the death of his grandparents. “How’s Mom?”

“She’s pretty torn up about it. We’ve got to be strong for her and help her through this.”

They drove the rest of the way home in silence, each coping in their own way with the loss of family. Josh pulled into the driveway and parked in front of the garage. Trevor got out and headed for the front door allowing his father to open it so they could go in. He headed into the living room and found his Mom sitting on the couch with waded tissues lying around her. She looked so sad and helpless that Trevor wanted to comfort her.

“Mom...” Trevor whispered wrapping his arms around her. 

“Trev, sweetie.” she cried softly hugging him back. 

“Are you okay Mom?”

“Yes, I’ll be okay.” she sighed wiping her eyes. “Can you go pack a bag; we’re going to be leaving in the morning for Nana and Papa’s. We have to make arrangements and there’s all their things...” she trailed off.

“Its okay honey, did the military get in touch with Daniel?” Josh asked her.

“They are trying to get word to him, his team has gone radio silence wherever they are, they wouldn’t tell me where he was. It’s top secret like all his missions.” 

“I’m going to go pack.” Trevor told them heading to his bedroom.

spn

Trevor pulled his duffle from the closet and opened it up on the bed. He started pulling clothes from the dresser and dropped them in the bag without really looking at them. A wave of sadness washed over him and he curled up on his bed letting the tears drip from his eyes. He reached out hunting through the universe for the connection to the other one. He wanted to feel his assurance and comfort this time and waited searching for that thread of light. Their connection wasn’t as often now and he missed it. It was becoming a part of him and he hoped one day he would find and meet this boy.

spn

The familiar feeling touched Dean’s soul with a feather like caress and he closed his eyes opening up his mind and dropped his barrier to feel the sadness and sorrow from his little brother‘s touch. He pushed out closing the distance between them and allowed his essence to surround his little brother’s soul. Something had happened to make him very sad and Dean did what he could to help him. Even thought they were miles apart, Dean did his best to help.

“I’m here bro, you’re not alone.” Dean whispered in his mind letting him know he was there.

spn

“I’m here bro, you’re not alone.” 

Trevor heard the words whispered to him knowing it was the boy from his dreams talking to him in his head. He let his mind open more and felt the connection strengthen for a few moments before it began to fade. He allowed the other to stroke his essence drawing comfort from it and knowing he was not alone. 

“It’ll be ok, I’m here when you need me.” the voice said as it faded away along with the link they had. The kinship finally dispersed leaving Trevor feeling more at peace with his grandparent’s deaths. He wiped his tears away and lay there sorting through his emotions since he wasn’t feeling so overwhelmed by them now. The boy in his dreams had calmed his racing thoughts enough to allow him to focus and rein in his feelings and deal with them. 

“Thank you.” Trevor whispered back as the last wisp of the other disappeared.

spn

Dean felt the link slowly began to fade and heard the thank you his brother send to him before settling the wall back in place in his mind. A voice called to him from far away trying to get his attention.

“Dean, Dean will you read to me before dinner?” Ollie was asking bringing Dean back to the present. He looked up to find Ollie standing beside him holding out a book waiting patiently for him to answer. “Can you read to me?” he asked again.

After shaking his head slightly to break up the mist in his mind, Dean smiled to Ollie and accepted the book from him. 

“Alright Ollie, do you remember what we read yesterday?”

“Yes, I marked the page with the bookmarker you gave me.”

“Where’s Ally? She might want to listen too.” he asked looking around the room.

“She’s helping Mia.” 

“Alright, chapter 14...The four travelers made their way down the yellow brick road toward...” Dean read as Ollie sat beside him listening intently to him read.

spn

“Dean are you sure about this?” Aunt Fay asked after he told her he was leaving.

“Yea ma’am. I need to move on, there are things I need to find and I can’t chance the cops catching me here.” he replied. He decided to tell Aunt Fay first before the others so she could comfort Ollie and Ally. He knew they were going to miss him and hated he was going to make them sad.

“Well young man it was an honor to know you and I hope you know that you are welcome back here any time. We’ll always make room for you. I hope you will visit if you come this way again.” she said clenching her hands together so she wouldn’t try to hug him. 

“Thank you Aunt Fay, I’ll never forget this place and the family I have here.” he told her looking around the room at the others who were scattered about. “I guess I need to tell them tonight. I want to get an early start in the morning and some of them might not be up.”

“Do you want me to tell them?”

“No it’s my place.” he said walking toward the kitchen to start with Preacher and Sarge.

“My child, you are so much wiser than your years, I wish you the best and I hope you find the one you’re searching for.” she whispered watching him walk away. “May the angels watch over you.”

spn

“Hey Champ.” Sarge said when Dean strolled over and stood at the counter watching him chop vegetables for Preacher.

“Can I talk to you?”

Sarge looked up at him and saw something in his eyes that told him what he was going to say.

“You’re leaving us.” he stated before Dean could say anything. Preacher looked up from the pot he was stirring to stare at Dean seeing it too.

“Yes, in the morning. I wanted to thank both of you for all the help and for your friendship.”

“No need, don’t guess I can talk you out of it?”

“No I need to move on...There’s someone I need to fine, I know he‘s still out there.” 

“I’ll take you to the bus stop in the morning so you won’t be alone.” Preacher told him seeing there was no talking him out of it; this was something he needed to do.

“You don’t have to; I can go on my own.”

“True, but I think we’ll all feel better knowing that you made in on the bus safely.” he insisted.

“Alright. Well guess I better go tell the others and get it over with.” he said looking at the small groups around the room. This was going to be hard, especially for Ollie and Ally, but it had to be done. He had stayed here long enough, he needed to continue his search and hopefully move one step closer to his brother. When he found him, he would decide if he would make contact or just observe from a distance to be sure he was ok and let him be to live his life.


	20. Chapter 20

"So you know where you're going?" Preacher asked as they neared the bus station.

"Yeah, I figured it out last night, Stillwater, Oklahoma."

"Why there?"

"Don't know, something in me said it was the right place to go." Dean shrugged not really able to tell him why he chose that town. It was as if someone was guiding him toward this destination for a reason and he was going to see what that was.

"Listen kid, you be careful out there and remember everything we taught you, don't show fear but respect it." 

"I will." he replied. "Thanks for all your help with everything."

"I'll wait out here for you. I'm not leaving until you're on that bus." Preacher told him with a nod.

"Ok." Dean said pushing the door open to the ticket office and going in. 

Luck was actually on his side today. There was a bus leaving in ten minutes for Oklahoma City and he could get another bus to Stillwater from there. Dean paid for his ticket and went back out to join Preacher. They found the bus and said their final good byes with a firm hand shake before Dean boarded the bus and found a seat. He watched out the window as the bus pulled out and waved one last time to Preacher before he turned and walked away. Dean didn't know what he was going to find in Stillwater, but he hoped he could find something like what he had here. It saddened him to leave this family but he had to move forward. 

spn

The bus pulled into Oklahoma City approximately twelve hours later and Dean got off and walked around for a minute to stretch his body. He went into the ticket office to find out when the next bus for Stillwater was leaving and get a ticket. Unfortunately, the next bus heading that way would not be leaving until eight-thirty the next morning. Dean looked at his watch and saw it was after seven pm. He went ahead and bought his ticket and decided to check out the diner next door. He could do with a hot meal and restroom break. After that, he guessed he would be sleeping in the depot until morning. With that plan in place, Dean trudged out the door and down to the diner.

spn

Dean was the last person off the bus. He looked around as he walked toward the depot to see if they had a map of the area he could get. He wanted to familiarize himself a little with the town before getting lost in it. He still wasn’t sure why he picked this small town over all the thousands out there. He just knew something led him here for reasons unknown. He saw signs for food down the street and started walking that way deciding to eat before checking the town out. Stillwater was smaller than Grand Island so he didn’t think it would be too difficult to scout it out. 

After getting his food, Dean took a table and spread the map out to study while he ate. He found the business district, a mall, schools, parks, libraries, restaurants and residential areas spread out around him. You couldn’t tell from a map what parts of the town were safe and what parts could be dangerous to a kid on his own. He knew first priority was a place to stay for the night. It would be dark in about three hours and he didn’t want to be roaming the streets after dark. Dean looked up and over his shoulder slowly scanning the area around him when an uneasy feeling that he was being watched hit him. He watched the people come and go but none seemed interested in him. Dean couldn’t see the angel standing slightly back behind him watching over him.

spn

Nearly two weeks had passed since Dean had come to Stillwater and he had already learned the town’s secrets. He knew the places to stay away from and how the bus system worked. He found the better thrift stores and places to get food from. He was still searching for a place he could use as more permanent shelter while he stayed in this town. The homeless here were not quiet as friendly, not did he find anything like he had in Grand Island with Aunt Fay.

Dean was walking down an alley on the outskirts of the town glancing into dumpsters as he went. He stopped at one at the end and looked closer seeing a couple of containers that might prove promising. He looked up and down the street to be sure no one was nearby before sitting his pack down by the wall and hoisting himself up into the bags of garbage. He made his way over to the corner and retrieved the boxes not sensing the man that was getting ready to toss a couple of bags into the dumpster.

“Sonovabitch!” he squawked stumbling back slightly when Dean’s head popped up out of the dumpster. “Kid you almost gave me a heart attack.” he growled clutching his chest as Dean back peddled away from him hitting his back on the side of the container. He winced in pain and tried to scramble out of it and get away from this man.

“What the hell ya doin’ in there kid?” the man asked as Dean slipped out of the container and backed toward his pack quickly looking both ways to determine the best means of escape.

The man towered over Dean in size and bulk and made you think twice before taking him on. He tossed his two bags into the dumpster and eyed Dean seeing the small box that looked like it had a cookie or Danish in it. He looked the boy over and saw that caged, wary look in his eyes and the tenseness of his body as he made ready to bolt. He saw the knife clutched tightly in his hand by his side, ready to defend himself if needed. He could tell by the kid’s stance, he knew something about fighting. There was a sense about the boy that he had seen more than a boy his age should have in his short life. He saw the pack sitting behind him and put two and two together that he was probably a runaway.

“Look kid, I ain’t gonna hurt ya.” he told Dean letting his muscled arms hand loosely at his side. “I own the bar over there, The Rusty Spur, ain’t much but it’s all mine. Got it with the money I saved while in the military. I’ve got a couple of sandwiches and cold soda inside if you’d like to sit down and have lunch with me.” he offered trying to sound as non threatening as he could. He didn’t know this kid’s story, but heard a small voice tell him he should offer him a little kindness. “Name’s Hank by the way. Come on, join me for lunch.” he said walking slowly back toward an open doorway across from the dumpster. 

Dean hesitated for a moment not sure whether to follow him or not. He didn’t seem threatening toward him and he did offer to share his lunch, Dean thought and he was military remembering Preacher and Sarge. He stood there for another minute looking at the open doorway that the man named Hank disappeared into. He reached down and picked up his pack before following after him checking out the inside before actually stepping into the room. He looked around the storage area seeing shelves containing supplies and tanks for the bar. There was a closed door to the left that had a sign saying private on it. Another door showed a small office with a desk, filing cabinets, a couple of chairs and a fridge in one corner of the room. He walked past the things toward another open door that led into the next room near the bar. 

Looking around the room, he saw tables with chairs turned over on top of them scattered throughout the bar, small booths lined one wall and a small area off to the side for dancing. The bar was made of oak and you could tell it had been well used and had been taken care of over the years. The place was clean and didn’t smell like what he thought a bar would. 

“Come on and sit down.” Hank told him. 

Dean looked toward the voice and Hank was sitting at a table with what looked like sandwiches and drinks on it waiting on him. Taking another look around the room, Dean walked slowly toward him eyeing the food.

“Sit, didn’t know what kind of soda you liked, hope it’s ok.” Hank commented nodding to the can of soda. “Made these sandwiches myself.” he said before taking a large bite out of his.

Dean looked down at the sandwich with interest. He could see several kinds of meat, cheese and lettuce on wheat looking bread. He looked back up at the man who was munching a pickle not really paying attention to him.

“May I use the restroom?” he asked quietly waiting for a response.

“Sure kid, I’m bad should of known ya’d want to wash up.” Hank replied. “Over in the corner there.”

“Thank you.” 

Dean made his way around the tables toward the corner that had a big sign on the wall advertising Restrooms. There were pictures of a western theme hanging around the room and the bathroom doors had Gents and Gals on them. He went into the restroom did his business and washed his hands and face, cleaning up as good as he could. He brushed his clothes off with a damp towel before heading back out to the bar.

spn

Hank was still sitting at the table drinking his soda and munching on chips when he sat down across from him. He didn’t look directly at him as he picked up half of the sandwich and took a bite ever wary of the stranger across from him. He took another bite and savored the tantalizing taste of the spicy mustard. He looked down at the other half of his sandwich contemplating what to do. He wanted to save it for later, but didn’t know how to without the man seeing him. Instead he did something entirely different.

“You can have the other half.” Dean said pushing the uneaten half toward Hank. 

Hank looked up in surprise at the boy trying to figure his game but didn’t see anything off about him. He noticed that Dean still wouldn’t look directly at him when he talked to him. He watched Dean’s eyes scan the room looking for any unseen threat while he took another bite of his sandwich. Hank had seen that look on his fellow soldier’s faces when they first came back from war. He had been a Marine and spent too many years on the front lines to not know PTSD when he saw it, even in one so young. 

“That’s ok kid, go ahead help yourself. I need to cut back anyway.” he said patting his hard stomach with a beefy hand. Hank might be big, but there wasn’t an ounce of fat on his body. He started to get up causing Dean to stiffen and slide his chair back slightly. “Just gonna get started setting up before opening.” he told him gathering the trash from the table. 

After Hank walked away, Dean leaned back in the chair letting out the breathe he was holding. He finished half the sandwich and sipped on the soda as he watched Hank go around behind the bar. He quickly wrapped the remaining half of the sandwich up and slipped it into his pack for later. He gathered up his trash and deposited it in the trashcan at the bar. He jumped and reached for his knife when Hank turned on the television that was mounted on the wall behind the bar blasting out a report on a car accident.

“Sorry about that, forgot about the sound.” Hank apologized to him as he turned down the volume.

Dean looked at the bar for a moment before walking out to a table and sitting the chairs off it to the floor. He began to make his way around the room doing the same to each one until he was done. He looked around being sure he had gotten all of them before stepping back toward the bar. 

“Thanks kid I appreciate that.” Hank told him as he wiped the bar down. “If you wanna help me set up, you can check the restrooms to see if it needs restocking and under the sink are the cleaning supplies. Think you can handle that?” 

“Yes sir.” Dean replied walking back toward restrooms. He decided it was only fair that he helped out since he did share his food with him when he didn't have to. He came out twenty minutes later and stopped at the bar. “Three stalls need toilet paper.”

“In the stockroom on the right. The key is hanging on a nail beside the shelve.” 

“Ok.” he said heading back into the stockroom to find the key and get some toilet paper. He walked back out with his arms stacked with the paper and a key dangling from his hand. 

Hank watched him thoughtfully as he headed back to the restrooms with the items. A small voice in the back of his mind whispered you should give the boy a job; he doesn't need to be out there on his own.

“Hey kid.” Hank called to him when he came out of the restrooms.

“Yes sir?” Dean asked.

“Wanna help me stock the bar back here?” he asked casually. 

“Alright.” 

Hank headed into the back letting Dean follow him so he wouldn’t feel cornered. He began to go over his stock pulling several bottles from the shelves and handing them to Dean. He juggled five bottles of liquor as he made his way back to the front to sit them on the counter behind the bar. Dean looked the area over and saw empty spots for the bottles on a shelve below the counter and began to store them there. Hank came out with cartons of beer to go in the cooler section refilling each row. 

“Well kid, will ya at least tell me yer name?” Hank said wiping his hands on a towel.

“Dean.” he replied standing back from him starting to feel trapped behind the bar.

Hank saw his discomfort and moved from behind the bar to give him space so he would feel at ease. 

“Dean...Well Dean you seem like a good worker and not afraid to do the dirty work.” Hank commented giving him a steady gaze. “You got anywhere to stay?” 

Dean looked down at the floor and shuffled his feet trying to decide what to do. He couldn’t get to his pack without going by Hank and he didn’t want to run without it. It had everything he owned and also his cash. He didn’t yet trust that this man didn't have a hidden agenda trying to lure him in. 

“Look, I could use a little help around here, you know, not getting any younger. I run the place by myself except on Friday and Saturday nights Doc comes in and helps.” Hank continued when Dean didn’t answer. “See when I bought this place, I fixed up the second floor in case I needed to crash here or a friend did. There’s a bedroom and small sitting area along with a small bathroom. It’s not much, but it’s clean. You can help me clean and set up the bar in exchange for a place to stay.” he offered. “Come on, I’ll show it to you.” 

spn

Hank walked back into the storage room and took out a key to open the door marked private. Dean followed cautiously staying well out of his reach. Hank flipped on a light and walked up the steps to the second floor. Dean looked up the stairs and took his knife out before following him. At the top of the stairs, a door opened into a small room with a couch, chair, end table and bookcase full of books. In the corner was a small bar with one stool, a sink and microwave. There was a radio sitting on the bookcase but not much of anything else. Hank pulled the curtains back to let the sun shine into the room making it brighter. There was a ceiling fan and a window a/c unit in one of the windows. 

“The bedroom is over here and the bathroom.” Hank pointed out opening the only door in the room. He stepped back so Dean could look into the room without him being nearby. Dean walked over and looked into the room seeing a full size bed, small dresser and nightstand with a lamp on it. Through the other door he could see a small bathroom. This was perfect Dean thought giving it another once over.

“So, we have a deal?” Hank asked bringing him back to the present. 

“Anyone else done this for you?” he questioned trying to get a feel for Hank.

“Nope, you’re the first.” he answered. “So there’s locks on both doors so no one can wander up here by mistake. It hasn’t been used in a while so you wanna dust and there's linen in the bedroom closet for the bed and you might wanna open the windows let some fresh air in. If you have any clothes you want washed, I'll take them with me and bring them back tomorrow. You can use the fridge downstairs to keep food in and I‘ll look at getting ya a mini fridge for up here this week.”

“Don’t go to any trouble, its fine.” 

“So you’ll take the job?” 

“Maybe, can I try it out for a week?” Dean asked to see what he would say.

“Hey, no problem with me. You might not like the work and wouldn't blame ya.” he agreed. “So here’s the key for the doors, it fits both locks. The only other key is locked in the safe, so you'll have your privacy. Let me know if ya need anything. Come on I’ll show you a few more things downstairs and you can come back up here once the bar opens since kids aren’t allowed in bars. There's plenty of books to read and I think the radio will pick up a couple of stations. Sorry don't have a television up here.”

"That's ok, haven't really had one anyway."

Dean accepted the key turning it over in his hand. He pocketed his knife and went to the window to open it letting a cool breeze blow into the room. He would move his pack up here and see what else Hank wanted him to do. Dean didn’t get any bad vibes from Hank and he seemed honest with this offer. He was still going to be careful around him until he knew him better, but maybe he had found another safe harbor in the storm and another friend to help him on his journey.


	21. Chapter 21

The following week had Dean learning how to inventory the stock and listing what needed to be reordered along with cleaning each night after the place closed down and setting it back up before opening time. He learned how to make a decent pot of coffee and went with Hank to the discount store for supplies so he could buy some things for himself. The Rusty Spur stayed open until midnight Tuesday through Thursday nights and until one am on Friday and Saturday. It was closed on Sunday and Monday allowing for time off. 

Hank was impressed with Dean and the good job he was doing. Before opening up on Saturday he watched Dean setting the bar up and decided to see if he was going to stay longer. If not, he planned on giving him some money for the week's worth of work.

"Dean, come over here." Hank called to him as he checked the glasses behind the bar.

"Yes sir." Dean asked wiping his hands on a towel.

"Just wanted to see if you'd made a decision yet."

"About what?" he asked slowly.

"Well its been a week and I was just wondering if ya was goin' to stay on a while and help me out?" 

Dean looked at him and then around the bar as he contemplated his response. Hank waited patiently seeing the wheels in his brain turning before he answered. He found Dean liked to think things through before giving a response. It seemed he ran through all the scenarios in his head deciding on the best one for himself.

"If you still need someone to help, yes I'll stay on a while longer." Dean finally said. He didn’t think he would find anything better than this, so it was really an easy question to answer.

"Good to hear." Hank smiled happily going back to wiping the bar down. “So if you agree does fifty dollars a week to start sound reasonable to ya?” 

“You don’t have to...”

“Nonsense, you’re doing all the heavy lifting around here, you deserve to be paid for that. No arguing now, go on get back to work.” Hank said waving him off while he checked the cash register.

spn

Dean went back to setting up the tables and wiped them down before checking to see if the floor needed sweeping. He grabbed the bags of trash and took them out to the dumpster before heading back in. He checked behind the bar to see if it needed any restocking before cutting up some limes and lemons.

"Dean, why don't ya run down the street and grab us some dinner before we open." Hank told him handing him a twenty. "Get me a grilled chicken sandwich with broccoli and baked potato and get whatever you want.”

“Ok Hank.” Dean said picking up the money from the bar and headed out the front door. 

Hank watched the boy head out and smiled to himself glad that he had listened to that little voice that told him to help Dean. He had not questioned him about his past and figured when Dean was ready to talk, if he wanted to talk, he would. He wasn’t going to pressure or interrogate him for fear he would bolt. Dean was just starting to relax around him and he didn’t want to do anything to ruin that. Hank made sure he at least got one good meal a day whether it be from the diner down the street or from his own kitchen. He had never remarried after his late wife, Ruth, passed away ten years ago. He had gone into the Marines right out of high school and met Ruth his third year in. They had married six months later. She stood by him during his three tours overseas and they had settled down after his last one when he became a drill instructor until he retired from service. Ruth was the love of his life and he didn’t think she could ever be replaced. He had bought the bar right after getting out and had been running it ever since. 

spn

Dean was into his second month working for Hank and he decided that Lady Luck was still shining down on him. He had a roof over his head, a bed to sleep in and a job that he was getting paid for. The work wasn’t glamorous or anything but he felt satisfaction that he was doing a good job. Hank suggested he needed to hit the thrift stores since his clothes seemed to be getting to small. Dean was having a growth spurt again and decided to go to the thrift store after lunch to buy some new clothes. Since he had been working at the bar, he was starting to add muscle to his body. He had found a park a couple blocks away that had a nice jogging trail and ran every other day to keep in shape. 

spn

Dean let himself in the back door and took his purchases upstairs before coming back down. He heard voices in the front and cautiously looked out into the room to see Hank sitting with another man his age. He looked scruffy with a beard and dirty baseball cap. They were talking together and Hank laughed at something being said. Dean walked into the room and started doing his usual routine of setting up the bar. 

“Dean! You’re back, come ‘ere son I want you to meet an old friend, we went to school together. Bobby Singer this is Dean my right hand man around here.” Hank introduced him.

“Hello son.” Bobby said giving the boy a quick once over sizing him up.

“Hello.” Dean replied and continued with his work. 

“Quiet one.” Bobby said quietly as he watched the boy finish with the chairs.

“He is, but he’s a hard worker and doesn’t complain about anything. I’m letting him say upstairs while he works here.”

“You always had a soft spot for strays.” 

“So are you coming or going this time?”

“Just finished up a hunt with Roy down in northern Texas and I’m on my way back home. Figured I would stop by since I was this close.” Bobby said sipping his coffee while keeping an eye on the boy. He knew Dean was listening to every word they said even thought he tried to be nonchalant about it.

“What this time?”

Dean listened intently to the conservation catching bits and pieces of it that made him pause for a moment. He caught hunt and vamp and someone named Roy. He eased closer to hear better but they were talking about something else now. He finished with the chairs and started around the bar to check the stock when Hank called to him.

“Dean why don’t ya go get us some dinner? I’ll have the barbecue platter, Bobby what’s your pleasure?”

“Barbecue sounds good.” he said reaching into his pocket for money.

“No this’s my treat put your money away.” Hank told him pulling two twenties from his pocket and handing them to Dean. “Get what ya want too Dean.”

“Yes sir.” Dean said pocketing the money and letting himself out the front door.

“What’s his story?” Bobby asked after Dean had left.

“No idea, like you said he doesn’t talk much. But if I was to guess, abuse maybe. Found him going through the dumpster out back about two months ago. Darn near gave me a heart attack when he popped up out of there. He was looking for food, invited him to share my lunch and he’s been here ever since.” 

“Seems like a smart kid, but shouldn’t he be in school?”

“I’ve thought about that, but since May’s coming up and school will be out, figured I’d talk to him about that if he’s still here this fall. He‘s just now starting to trust me and I‘d hate to lose it.” 

“Not a bad idea.”

“So how’s the salvage business going?” 

“It pays the bills.” he shrugged. 

“Phil passed through last month said he was meeting up with Bill to hunt a black dog.” 

“Haven’t seen him in a while, he doing ok?”

“Seemed to be, he was going to hook up with Jeff after that hunt to go check out a spirit down in Mississippi. Seems most are staying busy out there.” 

They stopped talking when Dean came back in carrying two bags of food. He sat them on the table and started to get his out to take upstairs to eat.

“Pull a seat up Dean and join us.” Hank offered sliding over so he would have room.

“I can go upstairs.” he mumbled fidgeting with a bag.

“Nonsense, we’d enjoy the company sit yerself down.” Bobby insisted.

Dean got a chair from the table beside them and sat down. Hank divided the food between the three of them and they settled down to eat. 

“You from around here Dean?” Bobby inquired after they were halfway through their meal.

“No.” he answered stiffening slightly by the question as a wary look crossed his face. 

“How long ya been on yer own?” 

“A while.” he grunted as his wall went up and he got up from the table. “Gonna go check the stock in the back.” he told them taking his remaining food with him.

“Didn’t mean to upset him.”

“Awe that’s ok. He’s not one to talk about himself.” Hank said with a sigh. “That boy’s troubled, just wish I knew how to reach him. I know there‘s had to have been something bad happen to him.”

“Keep doing what you’re doing. I think what he needs more than anything is seeing someone cares about him. He needs to know he belongs somewhere and he‘s safe.” 

spn

Dean finished his meal and checked the trash before going behind the bar to wipe it down. He kept glancing at the two men talking quietly still at the table. He ignored them and finished up getting the bar ready to open. 

“Nice to meet ya Dean.” Bobby called to him as he got up from the table. “I’m gonna be heading out Hank, Sioux Falls ain’t gettin’ any closer with me sitting here.”

“Good bye sir.” Dean replied.

“Stop back by any time Bobby, you’re always welcome.” Hank said shaking him hand while he walked him to the door. “You take care out there and stay safe you hear.” 

“You can count on it. See ya next time around.”

Hank closed the door and relocked it before turning back to the bar and Dean. Dean was wiping the bar again trying to look busy. 

“Take a break son, you’ve got everything ship shape, go on upstairs and relax.” Hank told him. 

Dean refolded the towel and nodded heading for the back.

“And Dean, you’re doing a great job here I appreciate that.” he praised him feeling he needed to hear this.

“Thank you sir.” Dean half smiled before heading on upstairs. 

He usually read and listened to music for a bit before turning in so he could be up early to start the clean up. Hank didn’t usually come in until lunch time or shortly afterwards. He usually brought Dean something to eat or sent him for food from the diner. Hank would work on the deposit and get it to the bank before they opened for the day. Dean asked him wasn’t he worried about being robbed and he told him the story of the idiot who tried. Hank put him in the hospital with broken bones and a concussion. He also carried a hand gun and wasn’t afraid to use it if he needed to.

spn

“Dean, Doc called and can’t work Friday and Saturday nights for a while, think you can pitch in and help?” Hank asked when he came in a few weeks later. “I know you’re not suppose to be in a bar, but as long as you don’t serve anyone I’m hoping no one will notice you busing tables.” 

“Sure, no problem.” Dean said actually excited at the chance to work downstairs when the bar was open. He finished stocking and found an apron to wear for the night so he would look the part. He was curious about the customers that frequented the bar and wanted to get a first hand look at them.

The Rusty Spur was a bar, nothing more, you could get a good beer or if you wanted something stronger there were the liquors and that was it, no fancy smachy mixed drinks or wine or sissy ass wine coolers. If you wanted food, Hank would direct you to the nearest restaurant down the block. There was a pool table on one side and a dart board on the other if you cared for a friendly game or he had a large screen television mounted on the wall playing some sports or news show. If you had a preference, Hank would usually change the channel. The one thing customers had to understand was when you stepped through those doors into the bar, you were in Hank’s kingdom and he was the king of it. What he said was the law and if you didn’t like it you were asked politely to leave and not come back. If you caused problems or got unruly, he had no problem tossing you out on your ass. Hank ruled his kingdom with an iron fist and took no lip from anyone. He wanted a place where customers could come and relax, enjoy a cold one or couple of shots, have some friendly conservation, play a friendly game of pool or darts or watch whatever was on the tube. There were the regulars who came by nearly every night it was open for a cold one and time to wind down before going back out into the real world. Then you had the more serious, intense customers who always sat with their back to the wall in order to survey the room for any threat. They kept to themselves, had their drinks and moved on. Hank would stroll by and speak to them for a few minutes then move on. Hank always made sure if a customer couldn’t drive that his keys were taken and a cab was called to get them home safely. Customers learned quickly that you didn’t start a drunken brawl in Hank’s bar unless you wanted broken bones and a trip to jail. Many of the local cops or firefighters would stop by and Hank gave them the first drink on the house and that went with any military people who happened upon the place. He even had a sign stating this hanging behind the bar. Hank wasn’t in the business to make a butt load of money, he made a small profit and that was just fine by him. 

spn

After Hank unlocked the doors of the bar and turned on the Open sign, customers started wandering in. Most were white collar, working class people who stopped off for a beer on their way home from work. Hank served them and Dean bused the tables and kept the bar stocked. He watched the different types and variety of people coming and going as the evening grew longer. Dean studied each person, training his skills on reading people, learning their body language. He knew that would come in handy later on.

Two men came in and took a booth before one got up to go to the bar to get a couple of beers. Dean eyed the two closely thinking they looked more intense and different from the other customers. They began talking between themselves and referring to several books that one pulled from his pack. Dean walked by and bused a table nearby listening intently to their conservation. He heard mention of hunting and the need to restock on silver bullets before meeting up with someone else named Jim. Walking by the two, he glanced down to see a page in the book titled werewolf and a picture of one. Dean hurried on past them and deposited the empties in the recycle bin in back before coming back out to check if there were any other tables that needed cleaning. He saw the two men leave and went to bus their table wondering exactly what they were hunting. He stored what he saw in the back of his mind while he quickly cleaned the tables as more people began to come in. The place was starting to get busy for a Friday night and he had to hustle to keep up busing the tables and help Hank keep the bar stocked. He was glad to see one am roll around and the remaining customers leave the bar. Hank locked up and pulled the money from the register to go in the safe. 

"You did good tonight Dean I'm proud of you." Hank praised him as he wiped the tables and set the chairs on the tables.

"Thanks Hank." Dean smiled to himself feeling proud of his work tonight. He thought about the two guys he had spied on and wondered what that was all about.

"Well I'm heading out, don't stay up too late. I'll see ya later on in the morning."

"Alright Hank." 

Dean finished with the tables and checked the restrooms before deciding he could finish the rest later on in the morning. He shut the lights off and was heading for the door to go upstairs when someone pounded on the back door making him jump. He went to the door and listened closely at the door. Knocking sounded again and then a familiar voice called to him.

"Open up kid." Bobby called through the door a hint of pain in his voice.

With a flip of the two locks, Dean had the door open and stared out at Bobby leaning against the side of the doorway. He stumbled slightly as he tried to maneuver himself into the room.

"Bobby, what happened?" Dean asked helping the older man into the room and closing and locking the door behind him.

"Hank should be here shortly." Bobby grumbled as he winced in pain while limping toward the bar.

Dean could see blood on his jacket and saw he was leaving a small trail behind him as it dripped from his fingertips. He rushed ahead of him and pulled a chair from the nearest table for him to sit down. He wondered if Bobby had been mugged or attacked by someone.

"What can I do?" Dean asked once Bobby dropped into the chair and let his pack fall to the floor.

"Get me a towel." Bobby told him as he struggled to get his jacket off his injured shoulder and drop it to the floor.

Dean hurried back with a couple of towels and frowned when he saw the gaping flesh showing through the torn shirt. He quickly pressed a towel to the wound to stanch the flow of blood.

"How 'bout pouring me a shot." he told Dean using his good hand to hold the towel in place.

"Yes sir." Dean replied running around the bar and grabbing the first whiskey he saw and poured some in a glass. He carried it carefully back to Bobby and sat it on the table. "What happened were you attacked?" 

"Something like that." Bobby answered tossing the shot back in one swallow groaning as it hit his stomach. "Go look in back, Hank has a first aid kit back there on the shelf."

"Alright." Dean told him scurrying into the store room to hunt for the kit. He quickly searched the shelves and finally found it on the bottom shelve in a corner. He slipped the large box off the shelve and carried it into the bar sitting it on the table. Dean opened it and stared in shock at the well equipped medical kit. He saw items that were not usually in regular first aid kits and wondered just what Hank was expecting. 

spn

Bobby and Dean looked up when the front door was unlocked and Dean reached for his knife and Bobby his gun until he saw Hank come in and lock the door behind him.

"What the hell happened Bobby?" Hank asked when he saw the bloody towel pressed to his shoulder.

"Awe damn greenhorn hunter jumped out too soon and alerted our target. Had to knock him out of the way 'fore he got his neck ripped out." Bobby growled madly as Hank inspected the wound. "Took a clip to bring the damn werewolf down." 

Looking from Bobby to Hank, Dean shook his head slightly as he tried to figure out if what he heard was right. Did he just say werewolf, like change when it’s a full moon werewolf with claws and fangs and such.

"Looks like it got ya pretty good there, Dean go get me a bowl with warm water." Hank ordered him as he grabbed scissors to cut the shirt away from the gash. "Oh yeah, you're gonna need stitches. You're lucky it didn't get your throat."

"Figured as much." he replied hissing as Hank wiped blood from the shoulder. "Would of done it myself if I could of reached it." 

"Here." Dean said sitting down the bowl and watching Hank take out the items he needed to sew up the gash. Both men seemed at ease with all this, like it was a regular occurring thing. He wondered if others used Hank as a pit stop to get patched up what with the fully stocked medical kit.

"Give him a double shot Dean; it'll help dull the pain." 

"Got it." Dean nodded going back to the bar for the bottle. He hovered nearby not wanting to miss anything. He was very curious about what had attacked Bobby and what else they knew.

"You know this is going to sting." Hank warned Bobby as he poured a small amount of alcohol over the gash.

"Balls!" Bobby yelled as the liquid ran over the open wound. "Just make it quick." 

"Don't rush me; wanna make sure I get it stitched properly." 

Standing to the side, Dean watched as Hank cleaned the gash and took out sutures to sew it up. He watched with interest standing on his tiptoes so he could see better. He studied how he made each stitch and tied them off. After the gash was closed, Hank applied ointment and then a gauze pad before taping it down.

"There, anything else that needs taken care of?"

"Naw, twisted my knee but its ok."

"Want some ice for it?" Hank asked before shaking out a couple of pain pills. “Take these.”

"I'm good. Thanks Hank." Bobby said slowly getting up and getting his balance. "I’ll be on my way."

"Why don't you stay, you can use my bed." Dean volunteered.

Both men turned to look at him, forgetting he was there for a moment. Both looked at each other wondering what the boy thought and what he had overheard. Instead of dwelling on it, Hank continued to talk agreeing with Dean.

"Good idea son, come on Bobby let's get you upstairs." Hank told him steering toward the stairs.

"No, no, I'll just head out." he slurred slightly.

"Nothing doing, you need to rest before heading out. You lost more blood than you think, you shouldn’t be out there driving in your condition. Give it at least until later this morning. No argument now, the boy done offered his bed to you." 

With Hank's help, Bobby made his way up the stairs and into the sitting room. Dean hurried after them and went to turn the bed down and grab a pillow for himself so he could sleep on the couch. Bobby eased onto the bed with a sigh and kicked his boots off before carefully laying down. 

"I'll bring breakfast in the morning, get some rest old man." Hank told him.

"Who you calling old, you old coot." Bobby shot back making Hank chuckle.

"I'll be back around ten Dean. Thanks for the help down there, get some sleep too."

"I will." Dean said throwing the pillow on the couch and pulling the blanket off the back to cover up in. 

"Night son."

"Good night Hank." Dean replied watching Hank leave. He looked through the door at the man in his bed and decided to use the restroom downstairs so he wouldn't disturb him. He wanted to know more about what exactly had injured him. He couldn’t believe they were actually talking about a werewolf like it was real or something. It didn’t make sense to him he thought letting his questions roll around in his head as he headed back downstairs.

A/N: So now we have Bobby in the story and Dean starting to learn about the things that go bump in the night. Hope you enjoyed this extra long chapter and thank you so much to all who are helping me keep this story alive and going. I enjoy your feedback and hope you will leave me a comment. NC


	22. Chapter 22

The bar was quiet as Dean came out of the restroom and started for the stairs. He saw the pack Bobby was carrying still by the table and picked it up to carry upstairs. It was heavy and Dean wondered what he was carrying. He made his way back into the sitting room and looked again toward the bedroom. He could hear soft snoring coming from the bed and headed on over to the couch to sit down. There was something about the older man that had Dean trusting him. It could be he was a friend of Hank's and he trusted Hank, but it seemed there was something else there too, just on the outskirts of his thoughts that he couldn't pinpoint. Whatever it was, Bobby interested him and he wanted to learn more about the man.

He sat the pack on the coffee table and looked at it wondering if he could take a look without Bobby knowing. Carefully opening the snap, he glanced inside trying to make out what it contained. He pulled two books from the bag and studied the titles. One was a book on ancient spells and the other looked like some sort of journal. He saw a couple of knifes, two flasks, wooden stakes, clips with different kinds of bullets and what looked like salt and after tasting it he realized it was salt. Sitting back on the couch, Dean opened the journal and started to read the scratchy handwriting. The more he read, the more he shivered until he pulled his blanket around his shaking body. Dean glanced toward the bedroom and the sleeping hunter trying to wrap his mind around this new knowledge. His thoughts of the world had just been turned upside down. He thought back on what he saw and heard from the others, who he now knew were hunters, and it started making sense. 

spn

Bobby stirred and blinked his eyes trying to clear the mist from his brain while he tried to figure out where he was. He spotted the bathroom through the door and pushed himself up wincing in pain. Once the dizziness passed, he went to the bathroom. 

Gazing into the other room, Bobby saw the boy asleep on the couch with his journal opened in his lap. His temper flared for a moment until he realized it made his head hurt, so he calmed down. He stepped into the room and toward the couch only to falter in his step when Dean suddenly jerked awake and brandished a knife at him. 

"Stand down kid, it's just me." he growled at him.

"Sorry." Dean said putting the knife back in his pocket. He looked down at the evidence of his snooping and back up at Bobby wide eyed as he face turned red with embarrassment at being caught snooping. 

"Always go through someone else's pack when they‘re asleep?" Bobby questioned eyeing his open journal in Dean‘s lap and several of the other items that were in his pack now on the coffee table. 

Dean quickly closed it and slipped it along with the other book and items back into the pack and closed it. Dean looked guiltily at the floor, ashamed of his sneaking behind Bobby‘s back and messing with his things. 

"Is all that really true?" Dean mumbled glancing sideways at him to see if he would answer him.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"I don't know." he answered truthfully. "Seems like a lot of detailed info for it not to be. So you‘ve hunted these creatures for a long time?" 

"It is, all of it and yeah I‘ve done this for a while." he said easing down on the couch.

"What attacked you was a werewolf?"

"Yep, nasty sonovabitch too."

"Wow." Dean said softly as he reviewed in his mind what he read from the journal. Monsters were real and they were out there in the real world. "And there are more guys that do what you do?"

"Yeah, women too, we're called Hunters and we try to protect Joe Blow out there from the supernatural. Most humans have no idea what's out there in the dark and if they did, they'd probably have heart attacks or run away screaming."

"I can see why." Dean nodded.

"Anyone awake up there?" Hank called from the stairs. "Breakfast is here." 

"Come on son, let's go eat and I need to head out." he said getting up and trying to shoulder the pack.

"Here let me get that." Dean told him taking the pack and walking behind Bobby in case he needed help.

spn

“You have a game today Trevor?”

“Yes, I’m playing forward again, coach likes my moves.” Trevor replied as he finished his oatmeal. He had been playing soccer for a couple of years now and was very good at it. Once he decided he liked the game, Trevor researched it and learned the best moves and plays. He even asked to go with Josh to the gym so he could work on strengthening his muscles and had continued to work out at the gym with him. Josh thought Trevor may know more about the game than the coach did but he never tried to be the center of attention. Instead, he helped his other teammates with plays and showed them how to play the game better. This help put his team on a winning streak and they were moving up in the rankings. If they kept it up they would go to the state playoffs. It would be the first time for the team to ever get this close to the championship.

“I’m getting off early to be there to see you play. I’m proud of you son for your dedication to the game, just remember to have fun too.” Josh told him knowing how wrapped up and serious he could get with things. 

“I will.” he answered taking his bowl to the sink to rinse and put it in the dishwasher. “I’ll be upstairs; I have some research to finish.”

“Alright son, I’ll see you at the game.” Josh told him still awed at how smart he was and so advanced beyond his age. “Your Mom and brother are going to meet us there.” 

“Ok.”

spn

"Thanks for the help Hank." Bobby said after they finished eating and he got up to leave.

"You know I'm here for anyone who needs medical attention, if you want to pass that around." Hank replied. "Had some medical training while in the Marines." he explained to Dean. 

"You wanna borrow some reading material Dean?" Bobby asked him.

"I guess." he said slowly not sure what he meant.

"Come on out to the truck, I think I've got a couple of books that might interest you."

"Bobby?" Hank questioned looking between the two.

"Damn fool kid found my journal and read it so he knows about everything." Bobby explained giving Dean a frown. “Couldn‘t keep his hands to himself.”

Dean looked down at his feet while Bobby scolded him knowing he shouldn’t of been nosey but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to know what was going on so he could be prepared. He knew there was something not being said about Bobby’s attack and wanted to know what it was.

"Shit." Hank sighed. "Figured we couldn't keep this from you, but kind of hoped you wouldn't find out so soon. Guess it’s a lot to take in for one so young."

"Come on kid grab my pack, I need to get out of here." he said limping toward the back door. 

Dean followed him out to his truck putting the pack in it for him. Bobby sifted through the things behind the seat before coming up with two books he handed to Dean.

"Take care of these; I'll be wantin' them back." Bobby told him in a stern voice. 

"Yes sir." Dean said looking at the old books in his hands. "I will." 

"See ya later kid, take care of yerself." he said easing into the cab and starting the truck. He watched Dean back into the doorway before pulling out to head home. 

spn

Dean finished cleaning and setting up the bar before heading upstairs to take a short break. He opened one of the books Bobby had given him and began to study it. This one was on Supernatural Lore and gave brief descriptions of all sorts of creatures Dean thought were only alive on the movie screen or television. He read for an hour before laying the book down so his overloaded mind could absorb what he read. Never in his wildest imagination did Dean think any of this was real, let along a danger to humans. Dean got up and headed downstairs to see what Hank was doing and to see if he would answer some questions. 

“Hey Dean, everything ok?” Hank asked seeing the lost and puzzled look on his face.

“Hank can I ask you a few questions?” 

“Sure shoot, not saying I’ll know the answers, but we’ll see.”

“How long have you know...Known about these things?”

“Damn guess probably ten years or longer. Bobby told me after he showed up here torn up one night.”

“Why does he do it? Hunt I mean, put his life in danger like that for strangers.”

“That’s a story that’s his to tell, you’ll have to ask him sometime.”

“There’s others who stop by that are Hunters too?”

“Yep, they know I’m in the circle and I can help with injures when they can’t go to the hospital. Word gets around about places they can stop at or come to when they need help. We don‘t advertise it or anything.” he answered pouring two shots, but one just a taste. “Since you’re part of the circle too now, guess you deserve a drink too. I know it’s hard to believe or accept that we’re not the only ones occupying this planet. The ones that risk their lives as Hunters, they’re trying to give us a chance here, trying to keep the monsters in check. Sometimes they win and other times they don’t. It’s a hard, thankless life for those who have chosen this path. You don‘t get paid and no one knows the sacrifices that are made for them.” Hank sighed looking off into space as he seemed to be remembering things.

“Have you ever gone out hunting?”

“Yeah, couple of times, but found I was better in the background helping than on the front lines. I was afraid of getting someone accidentally killed because I wasn‘t strong enough or smart enough.” 

“Oh.” Dean said thinking over what Hank had said. “Want me to stay down here for a while tonight and help? Saturday‘s are usually busy too.”

“Maybe for a couple of hours during the peak time and then you can go up. Thinking ‘bout asking Jeb to help out on the weekend until Doc gets back.”

“I don’t mind helping.”

“I know that Dean, you can still bus the tables and stock, Jeb can help out behind the bar serving. Oh since you’re doing more work now, I’m gonna increase you pay to seventy-five a week.”

“Thanks Hank, but you don’t have to.”

“Yeah I do kid, you work harder than most adults and I’ve never heard you complain one time, even when you have to clean up someone’s vomit or shit. No you deserve more if I could pay it.” 

“I appreciate that.” Dean smiled at him thinking this would help build up his cash fund. He was saving every penny he could thinking he would need it when he got ready to leave here and he knew he would, this was not where he belonged either; it was just a stop off to learn and grow. Something told him he needed to start learning all he could about the supernatural and the monsters who walked among them. One of his best resources was going to be Bobby Singer and he hoped he would be stopping by more now.

spn

The night was going smoothly and Dean spoke to the regulars who spoke to him as he bused the tables around them. He knew them now and felt as ease around them. No one bothered or hassled him as he did his job. Hank and Jeb were busy working the bar serving the customers that were plentiful tonight. He remembered Hank telling him about some event happening in town and that was why there were a lot of new faces at the bar tonight. He was hustling to keep the tables cleared and the bar stocked while also checking the restrooms that they were stocked and clean. One thing Hank bragged about was how clean he kept his business which brought people back. He even went to the expense of installing a filtration system to keep the air as clean as possible from the ones who smoked. 

Dean was busing a table and turned bumping into a man walking up behind him.

"Sorry." he mumbled when the man grabbed his arm trying to keep his balance. Dean's skin crawled at the contact and quickly backed away from him eyeing him closely.

"No, no my fault son." he replied giving Dean a smile that was anything but friendly. He continued around Dean to a table in the corner and watched Dean through hooded eyes.

After wiping the table he just cleaned, Dean headed to the back to throw away the trash and put the bottles in the recycle bins. He watched the man that gave him the creeps as more people came and went. 

spn

"Sorry that's employees only, you can't go back there." Hank spoke up stepping from behind the bar to stop a customer from going into the back.

Dean looked up in time to see the same creepy man standing beside Hank trying to look into the back storage room. 

"My mistake, I thought it was the bathroom." he apologized backing away but not before giving the room a once over letting his eyes rest on Dean for a moment. 

Dean knew he was lying because he had seen him go to the restroom several times that night. He wasn’t sure what the guy was trying to see or do but he was going to make sure Hank knew his feelings about him. Red flags were going off in Dean’s mind and he ran a hand over the knife in his pocket being sure it was reachable. He knew they would be closing in another thirty minutes since he heard Hank ring the bell for last call. He finished moving the empty tanks for pickup and glanced around to be sure everything looked neat and organized before heading back to the front. Looking around the bar, he saw the man had left and went to bus his table. He frowned when he saw a five lying on the table. A lot of the customers would leave a dollar or change on the table for him but never this much. Dean picked it up by the corner and took it to Hank.

“Here, you can have this.” Dean told him dropping it on the bar. 

“Why what’s wrong with it?” Hank asked looking at the five dollar bill to see if it looked tainted. 

“That man who left it gave me bad vibes, I don’t want it.” Dean replied. “Did you know him?” 

“No, but there were a lot of new faces in here tonight. He did seem interested in the storage room back here.” Hank said tossing the money in the cash register. He pulled another five from the drawer and offered it to Dean.

“No, keep it. I don’t want anything associated from him.” 

“Suit yourself. The bars closed sir.” Hank told a customer who came up for another beer. “We’ll be closing in fifteen minutes. Do you need me to call you a cab?”

“Naw, I’m g’od, I’m not drivin‘.” he slurred slightly and steadied himself as he wove back to a booth with three other guys sitting at it. 

spn

The bar finally emptied out and Dean finished cleaning the tables and started setting the chairs on them so he could sweep and mop the floor. Hank counted out the cash register and took the deposit to the safe until Monday. While Dean cleaned the floors, Hank took inventory of the bar and storage room so he could place the order first thing on Monday. He stopped and watched Dean finish mopping thinking he was glad he had offered the boy part of his lunch some many months ago. He and his wife had never had kids and Dean was filling a void he didn’t realize he had. The boy was closed off and kept everyone at arm’s length, but he was a very good worker, honest and never tried to take advantage of his generosity.

“You ‘bout ready to turn in?” Hank asked Dean as he stored the bucket and mop in the utility room. 

“Yeah, I’ll finish up the rest in the morning.” Dean yawned stretching his back. “See ya on Monday.” 

“Goodnight.” Hank called to him as he headed up the stairs. He pulled his keys from under the bar and headed for the door to lock the place up. Hank didn’t see the person standing in the shadows waiting for him or the metal pipe that connected with his temple knocking him out.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Thank you so much to all of you for your continued interest in my story. I am blown away with over 800 hits to this story. Comments always welcome. NC

 

Dean had finished brushing his teeth and changed into sweats when he heard noises from downstairs. He didn't think Hank forgot anything and it didn't sound like the place settling. Frowning, he went to the door at the top of the stairs and listened intently. He could hear someone trying to open the door at the bottom of the stairs and knew Hank wouldn’t be doing that. 

“Dean.” an unfamiliar male voice called to him. “Open up if you want to keep your friend breathing down here.” 

A chill rolled down Dean’s back when he realized something had happened to Hank and this man was threatening to kill him. His mind flew into hyper drive and he looked around the room deciding what to do. There was no phone up here and Dean didn't have a cell so he couldn't call the cops.

“Come on kid, I don’t have all night, well Hank doesn‘t. You got five minutes.” he called again.

Deciding jeans were better than sweats for hiding a weapon, Dean quickly stripped them off and pulled his jeans back on. He slipped one knife into the small of his back and pulled his shirt over it. After he slipped on his boots not bothering to lace them, he positioned a knife in each one. Knowing he wasn’t good enough with his gun, he figured knives were a better choice of weapon for him. 

His body was tense as he unlocked the top door and made his way slowly down the steps and stopped at the bottom door. He listened at the door for any movement before unlocking it and letting it swing open. The storage room was empty and he stepped cautiously through the door looking for the stranger.

“There you are.” the man crowed happily. “Come on in and join us.” he told him waving a gun at him.

Dean stiffened when he saw it was the guy from the bar that kept staring at him and gave him bad vibes. He knew his sixth sense about him was right and walked slowly toward him remembering everything he had been taught. Let your opponent think they have the upper hand, fake your weakness to give them more confidence and watch for your chance to make your move and take him down. Dean walked carefully into the room keeping as far from the man as he could while glancing around to see Hank leaning against the bar tied up and not moving. 

“What did you do to him?” Dean growled making his way to his side. He saw the blood on the side of his head and felt for a pulse. 

“Don’t worry about him, he’ll be fine, may have a headache when he wakes up, but his continued health all depends on you.” the man told him pointing his gun randomly at him. 

“Hank can you hear me?” Dean asked pulling a towel from behind the bar to wipe his face of blood. “Hank say something.”

“Dee...” Hank moaned moving his head slowly as he tried to bring Dean's face into focus. “Dean?” he questioned again. "What happened?"

“You’ll be ok.” Dean said palming a knife from his boot to Hank's tied hands. 

“Enough now come here boy unless you want me to put a couple of holes in the old coot.” 

Dean stood slowly and turned to the man seeing that look in his eyes that he had seen before in another’s eyes. Dean walked slowly toward the man trying to act scared and weak and helpless. He let the darkness out and allowed it total control as he slowly swept his eyes over the man to determine his weaknesses and where he should strike. This man did not know what he released when he decided to make Dean his next target. He was so over confident in himself that he didn't see how dangerous Dean was.

Hank blinked hard several times to clear his vision and saw Dean approach the man. He could read Dean’s body language and could see how tightly coiled he was, just waiting to strike. Hank moved the knife and began to saw at the ropes holding him. He never took his eyes off the two in front of him, seeing the man was zeroed in on Dean and not paying attention to him. Dean glanced one more time toward Hank before devoting his full attention on the man. What Hank saw in Dean's eyes made his blood run cold and his breathe freeze in his chest. Never had he seem such rage and smothering darkness staring back at him, but when he turned to look at the man his demeanor changed to one of fear and submission and cowering.

“Oh boy, you’ve got such a beautiful body, one that needs to be worshiped.” the man cooed as he reached a hand out and caressed his cheek and ran it on down his left arm. “Take your shirt off.” he ordered pointing the gun at him and then at Hank when he didn't move.

Dean ground his teeth together controlling the darkness until it was right. He grasped the hem of his shirt and slowly pulled it over his head letting it fall to the floor. The man looked at Dean’s naked upper body and licked his lips and devoured him with his eyes.

“Oh my, you are even more than I could of dreamed of. Should we put on a show, let Hank see who you really are?” he asked Dean who shrunk in on himself keeping his back turned away from him so he wouldn’t see the knife. “I know you want me to touch you.”

“No, don’t...” Dean begged trying to look submissive as he let his body tremble and shake trying to sell his ruse, waiting for his time to strike. The darkness was coiling, rolling and churning inside of him, growing impatient, wanting to be released to attack. 

Thinking Dean was going to be easy to handle, the man laid the gun on a table to have his hands free to grope Dean’s body and have his way with him. He didn’t see the warrior that was about to be freed to attack and destroy.

spn

Hank watched in horror as he started to run his hand down Dean’s chest pausing at the waist of his jeans and undid the snap so he could move lower, as his other hand cupped his cheek, then Dean exploded, letting the darkness have its release. He was precise; he was strong; he was determined and he was driven to stop the abuse. He slammed his elbow into the man’s nose, making blood spew from it and drove a knee into the man’s groin as hard as he could, doubling him over and sending him to his knees. Dean was on him in an instance with a wicked looking knife pressed hard again his jugular vein. What Hank saw on Dean’s face scared the shit out of him. He had seen that look on soldier’s faces before and knew Dean was going to kill this man if he didn’t stop him.

“Give me a reason you sonovabitch. You’ll bleed out in seconds you pervert.” he screamed at him letting the razor sharp knife slice into the soft skin making a shallow cut, allowing a trail of blood to drip down his neck, but not enough that it would kill him, not yet anyway. All Dean saw was a red mist blanketing the entire room and Tom’s face as he raped him.

“You broke my nose.” the man cried as he coughed up blood trying to control the pain in his privates as Dean pinned him to the floor with a knee in his stomach. He added all his weight making it hard for the man to breath. When he tried to fight back flailing at him with his free arm, Dean jerked the other knife from his boot and stabbed it into his palm with such force the knife went through his hand and buried into the wooden floor trapping it in place. The man screamed in agony and tried to pull it free only causing more pain. He whimpered and cried afraid to move as the knife at his throat cut a little deeper. Dean smiled in satisfaction with each cry of pain the man made from his assault. It seemed to fuel the much needed desire for revenge.

“Dean no, don’t do it. He’s not worth it.” Hank said slowly as he pushed himself up from the floor leaning against the bar. He had never seen such fury or rage in anyone before and he didn’t know if Dean could hear him through his rage. He didn't think the boy had ever killed anyone and he was going to try and stop him from killing this one, even thought he knew he deserved it. He knew from experience that killing another would change you forever. It was something you never forgot.

“How many others have you molested you bastard?” Dean growled getting up and sending a heavy boot into his genitals several times causing the man to choke and groan in pain as he started gagging on his own bile. He tried to roll to his side letting the vomit and blood string from his mouth as he tried to spit it out. His pinned hand kept him from going far as he looked into the murderous eyes of the boy.

“Please, no more.” he gasped and begged holding a hand up and looking over at Hank. “Make him stop.” he whined.

“I swore no one would ever touch me again.” he spat through gritted teeth. Grabbing a handful of hair and raising the knife ready to plunge it into this chest, Dean heaved and panted not knowing what was stopping him. He stiffened again and made ready to bury the knife into his chest when a familiar voice reached his ears breaking through the darkness that was in him.

“Dean, son, I called the cops, they’ll be here shortly. Son don’t kill him.” Hank pleaded stepping closer so he could see him. “Look, I’m ok. He’ll get what he deserves; I’ll make sure of it. Please son listen to me, I know he deserves to die, but not by your hands.” 

spn

A voice kept trying to break into the tunnel vision Dean had as he clutched the knife harder. He knew the voice that was calling him and shook his head slightly pushing the darkness down slowly and letting his mind rein it in. He was breathing hard as he looked down into the terrified eyes of his attacker. He pressed a knee across the man’s throat cutting off his oxygen supply as he took his knife and carved a word into his forehead, PERVERT Dean cut, concentrating on spacing them just right so they could be seen. The man tried to cry out in pain but could only croak and gag as Dean kept his knee tight on his throat until he finished his handy work. Once he was done, he got up and gave him one final hard kick to the ribs smiling in satisfaction when he heard bones break with the onslaught. He stepped back and picked his shirt from the floor and slipped it over his head, but not before Hank saw the scars that ran up and down his back. The last thing he did was pull his knife from the pinned hand wiping it on the man's shirt to clean it. He tucked it back in his boot before turning on his heels and walking away to lean against the bar for a moment to try and calm his screaming mind that was yelling at him to kill the bastard.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Comments are always welcome. NC

 

Sirens blared outside the bar and Hank moved toward the door to let them in. Dean walked around the bar and pulled whiskey from the shelf to pour a shot. He waited as Hank led the cops inside and showed him the moaning man lying in his own vomit, explaining what happened and how Dean defended himself and saved him. He showed them the gun that was still lying on the table. The cops were friends of Hank’s and jerked the man up cuffing him before pushing him toward the door.

“I need medical attention.” he complained trying to breathe with a broken nose and ribs. “I wanna file charges against that kid for attackin’ me.”

“Yeah, yeah we’ll see what we can do.” one of the cops said pushing him roughly out the door.

“Ok Hank Belmont right; I need to take both of your statements.” the other cops said pulling out his pad to begin writing down the statement. “If you’ll start Hank.”

“Sure Officer Douglas, no problem.” Hank said sitting at a table by the bar. “Thanks.” he told Dean when he sat a shot in front of him. “We had closed up and I was leaving when that man attacked me, knocking me out. He threatened to kill me if Dean didn’t come downstairs. He stays in the small apartment upstairs and works for me. He’s my cousin’s kid, didn’t have any place to go, his parents were killed in car accident, so I took him in. You know how it is with family; you gotta step up when no one else will." Hank explained glancing at Dean as he told the white lie. "That scumbag tried to sexually assault Dean but when he saw his chance, he fought back. He slipped me a knife and I got free, but Dean already had him down and incapacitated. That bastard got what he deserved, if I had got my hands on him...I would of killed him.” Hank said not blinking an eye as he looked at Dean. Dean looked at Hank and saw the truth in his eyes. He would of killed for him, someone he barely knew. Dean swallowed hard not wanting to admit how fond he was becoming of Hank. 

“Dean is this correct? Did he try to molest you?” Officer Douglas asked Dean.

Dean looked at the cop for a moment before answering the question. “Yes sir, I defended myself and was trying to protect Uncle Hank.” he told the officer playing alone with the lie. "He threatened to shoot him if I didn't do what he said."

“And the word on his forehead?” the officer questioned.

“He deserved worse. This way everyone will know what he is. They all should be branded for all to see and just maybe things like this won't happen.” he replied holding his head high daring the cop to contradict him. “He’s lucky I didn’t slit his throat so he couldn‘t do that to anyone else ever again. That monster doesn‘t deserve to live, but Uncle Hank stopped me before I could. Am I in trouble?”

“No, it was clearly self defense and you were trying to protect your uncle. Alright, I think I have enough. I'll need you to sign your statement once it's typed up, what if I bring it by for you in the next day or so. Hank you should have that gash checked out, you may need stitches. If we need anything further we‘ll be in touch.”

“Thanks, and that will be fine. I'll be here whenever the bars opened. I'm sure my head'll be fine and thanks for getting here so fast.” Hank said pressing the towel back to his temple. “I’m sure this isn’t the first time he’s done this, you might want to look for other victims.”

“We’ll be doing that. Hey, this is one of my favorite spots for grabbing a beer before heading on home sure glad you‘re ok. You take care now.” he said heading out to join his partner. 

spn

“He’s right Hank, you need to have that gash looked at.” Dean told him looking at it closely.

“Go grab the first aid kit. You know how to sew?” Hank asked him going behind the bar to get a wet towel.

Dean came back with the kit and sat it on the table. “I guess I could but why?” he asked as Hank sat back down.

“I need you to sew the wound up for me. Don’t think it’ll need but a few stitches.” he said opening the kit and laying what they would need on the table. "Who taught you to fight?"

"A couple of Marines. Are you sure of this? What if I mess up?” Dean asked a trace of fear in his voice.

“Don’t worry; my hair will hide the scar. Now go wash your hands real good and come on back. I’ll talk you through it. Well they did a good job of training you which I am thankful of.” 

Dean did as Hank requested and washed his hands in as hot a water as he could before coming back to stand beside him.

“Ok, you need to bring that bottle of whiskey from the bar over here.”

“You want another shot?” Dean asked picking up the bottle.

“Well that and you need to clean the wound by pouring some of that on it.” he said tapping his glass.

After pouring Hank a shot, he took the towel and held it to his face and poured a small amount of alcohol over the gash. Hank swore loudly as the liquid burned and brought tears to his eyes. After he downed the shot he continued with his instructions for Dean.

“Put on a pair of gloves and pick up the needle with the suture attached. What you want to do is hold the two sides of skin together and push the needle through one side and out the other side catching enough skin that it doesn’t rip. Then tie it off and clip it.” 

Taking a deep breath, Dean stilled his trembling gloved hands and pinched the skin together. He slid the needle into Hank’s scalp and carefully speared the other side and pulled the suture through leaving enough thread to tie and clip it. He repeated the process three more times closing up the wound.

“Done.” he sighed putting down the needle and looking at his handiwork kind of impressed. He had done it, he had sewed Hank up.

“Put some of this antibiotic cream on it and then pad and tape.” he instructed holding up the tube of cream.

After smearing the cream over the wound, Dean put the pad and taped it down. He stepped back and stripped off the gloves before picking up his shot and downing it only to partly choke as he tried not the throw it back up. He breathed deeply and blinked the tears back trying to let it settle in his churning stomach. He was trying to control his shaking body now that he had time to realize what had almost happened.

“Why don’t ya go on to bed Dean, I’ll be ok.” Hank told him watching him deflate and tremble as his adrenaline high wore off. 

“You shouldn’t be driving, why don’t you stay here and sleep, go home later today.” he said looking at his watch. 

“Naw, I’m good.”

“I insist Hank. Don’t need ya wrecking on the way home and getting hurt worse. Now come on. The couch is fine with me.” Dean insisted going over and locking the door. He came back waiting for Hank to get up and go with him upstairs. Dean didn’t want to tell him he really didn’t want to be alone tonight.

“Alright, don’t feel like arguing with ya, let’s go get some shut eye.” Hank said seeing there was no reasoning with Dean. He headed into the storeroom and trouped up the stairs with Dean following close behind him. “You go on and use the bathroom first.” Hank said sinking to the bed. Even with his head pounding, he had a feeling Dean wanted some company tonight.

“Thanks.” Dean said pulling his knife out of his boot and laid it on the coffee table before kicking them off and picking up his sweats from the floor. After removing the other from his jean’s waist, he put it beside the throwing knife. Hank returned the knife he had used to cut his ropes laying it beside the ones on the coffee table. Dean was out of the bathroom in five minutes and grabbed a pillow and a blanket from the closet to use on the couch. 

“It’s all yours Hank, if you need me, call out.”

“I will son, get some rest.” Hank told him walking carefully toward the bathroom as the room spun slightly. “And Dean, I’m proud of you son, you protected us, but you controlled yourself and didn’t kill him. That took a lot of will power son, and it shows the type of person you are. I am proud to call you son because that’s what you are to me. I don’t know what happened to ya that landed you on my doorstep, but I’m glad you decided to stay.” he ended closing the door softly leaving Dean standing there in shock by his words. 

Dean mulled over the words as he walked to the couch and made himself comfortable, pulling the blanket up over his body. Hank’s words brought tears to Dean’s eyes as he thought about being called son by him. If he could of chosen another father besides his own, Hank would have been a good choice. He had the biggest, kindest heart of any person he knew and would help a fellow traveler when he could. Dean knew if it hadn’t been for Hank he would have killed that man for what he tried to do. He closed his eyes as exhaustion pulled him down into a restless sleep.

After finishing in the bathroom, Hank made himself comfortable on the bed and tried to block out what almost happened to Dean. He was sure by Dean’s reactions that something like this had happened before and that person was successful with his assault. This explained why Dean was so secretive and standoffish around people. He wished he could take all the perverts in the country and toss them on a deserted island and let them take each other out or hell castrate the lot of them. 

spn

Trevor rolled over in bed as his dreams were altered and he felt that flutter of connection drawing him in. He opened his mind fully accepting the touch knowing without a doubt he was back. He had missed their time together, no matter how short the times were. It at least let him know he was out there and still alive. There was a different sense this time like something was off with him. Trevor reached out cautiously not wanting to lose the connection to let the boy know he was there and to give him his energy freely for support and strength. 

"I feel you, I'm here." Trevor mumbled in his sleep as the other pulled away but not before touching his soul with a gentle kiss. 

"I know." Dean whispered back into Trevor's mind as he let the connection fade away. He had not tried to contact Sam in a while and he felt bad, part of him wanted to keep the connection and part wanted to let Sam have his life without him interfering.

spn

The urgent cries woke Hank from his sleep as he turned slightly to check the time. He had been asleep for nearly three hours. The more his mind woke up the more he remembered about what happened last night. He felt the pad on his temple and the dull ache behind it making his vision blur slightly. Hearing the sound again he looked toward the other room knowing it had to be Dean.

Hank sat up slowly and made his way into the room. Dean was lying on the couch twisting and fighting the blanket that was covering his body. He wasn’t surprised that Dean would be having nightmares after what happened to him. He was sure he was reliving a time in his past and was sure it wasn’t last night.

“No...Stop...Stop.” Dean cried softly trying to push an imaginary person off him. “Don’t touch me.” he cried out as his body stiffened and he started gagging.

“Dean, son wake up, you’re dreaming.” Hank called to him. He shook his leg to try to bring him out of the nightmare. “Wake up Dean!” he said louder and shaking him harder, but stepped back when he saw Dean lunge for a knife before he realized where he was.

“Hank?” Dean mumbled looking around quickly trying to control his breathing and back to him. “Are you alright?”

“I should be asking you that, you were having a nightmare.” he told the boy who cast his eyes down so Hank wouldn’t see the darkness in them. Except he did see the shadows briefly flit across his face. “Wanna talk about it?” 

“No, I’m fine.” Dean said tersely swinging his legs from the couch to sit up. He rubbed his face with his hands and tried to decide if he wanted to go get something to drink or try to get some more sleep. 

“I’m going to lay back down for a while. You know where I’m at if you need anything.” Hank told him seeing there was no use to pressure him into talking; it would only make him shut down more. He would give Dean his space and hoped he might one day trust him enough to talk to him. “I’m here for you Dean, if you ever wanna talk.” he said softly before walking away.

Dean watched Hank walk away and let out the breathe he was holding upset with himself that he got short with Hank when he was only trying to help. It was just too hard for him to admit to anyone what had happened to him because he didn't want to see the pity in their eyes. He would deal with it his way, keep it locked up in a box in the back of his mind and pretend everything is fine. He didn’t want anyone to see him with his walls down for fear of them thinking he was weak and couldn‘t take care of himself.


	25. Chapter 25

The days grew warmer as spring moved in driving winter back into the shadows letting new growth come out once again. The trees were putting on their coats of green and flowers were popping up across the area littering the ground with bright, bold colors. Dean could feel the freshness in the air and could tell the world was coming back to life after the dreary winter months. It seemed everything was being reborn or given a new surge of energy. Even Hank had more of a spring in his steps as he busied himself around the bar.

Officer Douglas had stopped by to let them know the man who attacked Hank and tried to assault Dean was behind bars. They had found other victims of his attacks so he wasn't getting out for a long time. They wouldn't need any additional information from either of them which was good news to Dean, he wasn't ready to leave Hank just yet. He was finally beginning to bond with him. Hank was glad about the news and thanked him for the information inviting him in for free drinks one night.

Dean kept his window opened allowing fresh, clean air to flow into the rooms. He started going to the library on Mondays since the bar was closed and found more books to read on the supernatural. He used the computers and looked up articles on every subject he could think of regarding what he read. He found urban legends and was going to ask Bobby if any of them were true. There was so much information on the internet he wasn’t sure what was to believe and what not to. It was mind boggling and he wanted to absorb it all.

spn

Bobby had been stopping by about every month bringing new books for him to study and answering what questions he had. While he was at the library, Dean had been doing searches on his father trying to see if he could find any information about him. He checked out public records, tax records, social security records anything he could think of and get into to try and find his trail. He did find a police report a couple years after they were put in the orphanage about a John Winchester being arrested for breaking and entering but he had escaped the police and disappeared. He couldn't find anything else and wished he was a better hacker and decided that was his next project, improve his skills on the computer. It was harder to do since he didn't have a laptop, but decided maybe it was time to get one. He had saved up most of his pay from Hank and thought it would be a good investment for his future.

Working in the bar helped him build muscles and Dean also started running every day to build his stamina and keep himself in shape. He found a jogging trail a few blocks from the bar and started using it as long as weather permitted. Hank watched the boy grow more confident and sure of himself with each passing day. He couldn’t believe this was the same boy that climbed out of a dumpster so many months ago, scared, wary and distrustful. He still didn’t know Dean’s story and really didn’t care what it was. He was a good kid, with a good head on his shoulders and smart well beyond his years. Hank felt like Dean was the son he never had. He tried to give him fatherly advice and help guide him along his way. He was so proud that Dean had chosen to stay with him all this time and give him a chance to be a father to the boy. He didn’t know how much longer he would stay with him but he would give him a home as long as he wanted and needed it. He was thankful for each day he had with the boy knowing it might be the last when Dean decided it was time to move on. He had a feeling he was searching for something or someone and wouldn't give that search up until he found it.

The months ticked quickly by and fall was just around the corner. The days were still warm and mild but the nights were cooling down letting everyone know what was coming. Dean was starting to get restless again and he knew what he wanted to do. He just hoped Hank wouldn’t be too mad with his decision. He loved Hank for all the kindness and help and love he had given him. Dean looked up to him and respected him so much; he was like a father to him just as much as Mitch was the two years he spent with him. It took a while for Dean to start really trusting Hank, but he found him to be an honorable man and a man of his word.

spn

“Bobby!” Hank called as Bobby strolled into the front door and took a seat at the bar. “Hadn’t seen ya in a while.”

“How ya been Hank?” 

“Getting by as always. Care for a cold one?” 

“Sounds good.” 

“Dean’s been asking after you wanting to know when you were coming back by.” 

“Where is the boy? He’s usually down here helpin' out.” he asked when Dean had not greeted him too.

“I gave him the day off. Boy’s been working too hard. Made him go shopping, he’s outgrown his clothes again, had himself a growth spurt. I swear he's grown five inches and he's starting to put on some muscle, he's going to be turning all the ladies heads pretty soon. He’s going to be a tall one too. Should be back anytime now.” Hank said looking at his watch.

“Just wanted to drop off some more books for him while I was this close. That boy has a mind like a sponge.”

“You on a hunt?”

“Yep suppose to meet up with another hunter and do a salt and burn before heading on home. Guy's still wet behind the ears and doesn't want to do it on his own.”

“Well you gotta stay until he gets back; he’ll be so disappointed if he doesn’t see you.” Hank told him wiping the bar down.

Both looked toward the front door as Dean walked in carry a couple of bags. His face lit up with happiness when he spotted Bobby at the bar. 

“Bobby, good to see you.” Dean told him hurrying over to the hunter. “It’s been a while since ya been by.” 

“Yeah I know, had some cases out east and then I had to help with research for a couple of hunters and there’s manning the phones at home, had to take my monthly turn at that.” 

“Are you staying over?”

“Naw meeting up with someone to do a salt and burn a few hours from here. I was on my way back from a voodoo ritual in Texas when he called for the help.” 

“Can I come with you?” he asked out of the blue causing both men to turn and look at him in surprise.

“Dean, what are you asking?” Hank questioned him.

“I want to be a hunter.” he told them. “I can do this. It's what I'm suppose to do.”

“Son you’ve had no trainin', you could get yerself killed by what's out there.” Bobby said trying to change his mind. "All your book learning is good, but you've had no experience with fighting."

“You can train me, I’m a fast learner. I've been studying everything I can find to learn more about it.” he insisted. “Hank’s got Jeb and Doc to help him. I want to do this and it‘s not like we can‘t stop by and see him when we‘re near. It's time, I need to continue my journey.” he told Hank trying to be honest with him.

Hank looked sadly at Dean seeing that intense excitement in his eyes at the chance to become a hunter. He was losing his boy and there was nothing he could do about it. He knew that look on Dean’s face and knew there was nothing he could say to change his mind. This was something Hank had to accept and let Dean go. He had no right to try and stop him since he wasn’t any kin to him, but he knew how dangerous being a Hunter was and he didn’t want to lose him because of some minor mistake.

“Dean, how old are you, fifteen?” Bobby asked.

“I’ll be thirteen in a few months.”

“Don’t ya think you should be finishing up school instead of thinking about hunting?” 

“No, I can school myself and if you don’t want to help that’s fine, I’ll start hunting on my own.” he said not giving in to any attempt to sway it.

“Dean can I talk to Bobby alone for a minute?” Hank asked him.

“Ok, I’m going upstairs to pack.” Dean said heading for the storeroom. He wasn't really giving them any choice in the matter. He was sure neither of the men downstairs would let him go out on his own and hunt.

spn

“Bobby you’re not goin' to stop him.” Hank said sadly. “If he’s going to do this, I’d feel a lot better knowing he was trained by you and you had his back. If anyone can give him a fighting chance, then its you. You can train him to survive out there.”

“Hank, he’s only soon to be thirteen! He’s a snot nosed kid still wet behind the ears. What am I gonna do with him?”

“Be a friend to him, his mentor, you know he looks up to you. He needs a father figure. I’ve had him almost a year and I’ve watched him grow in spirit and maturity. He’s a twenty-five year old in a kid’s body.”

“Balls!” Bobby grumbled sipping his beer wanting to get the hell out of there before Dean was packed. What was he going to do with an almost teenager in his life? He never saw himself as a father after what he went through with his own Dad. 

“Think about it Bobby, how long would he last out there on his own? What if he hooks up with the wrong people? Bobby, I’ll miss the kid, he’s been like a son to me, but I knew he would be moving on. I’m just glad he was in my life as long as he was. He needs someone like you, give him a chance and if it doesn't work out...Then send him back my way, there will always be a home for him here as long as I'm alive.”

What Hank was saying was true. Dean wouldn't last a week out there hunting on his own. He still needed some serious training before he would ever let him go out on a hunt and a few more birthdays under his belt. Hell, looked like he just got a new roommate.

spn

Dean walked back into the room with his duffel and a bag of clothes that were too small. He looked from Hank to Bobby waiting patiently to see what was going to happen. One way or another he was leaving he just hoped it was with Bobby.

“Let’s get something straight up front...” Bobby started knowing he couldn’t let this kid go out there on his own and get killed. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did. “You do exactly what I say when I say and if I tell you to jump, you ask how high. The first time you don‘t do as I say, I‘ll kick yer ass up between your shoulder blades you got me? It's my way or ya can stay right here where ya're at.”

“Yes sir!” Dean said standing straighter with a gleam in his eyes. He turned to Hank and saw the sadness and tears in his eyes. “Hank, thank you for all you’ve done for me. You’ve been like a father to me and there’s no way I can repay you.”

“You just don’t get yourself killed, you understand me?” Hank said wanting to hug him but knew Dean didn’t like to be touched. 

Dean stepped closer and looked at him for a moment, before giving him a hug which Hank accepted willingly, wrapping him in his arms and holding him tight for a moment before letting him go. This small step was a very big one for Dean and Hank knew it. It just made the parting all the more hard, but he drew in a deep breath and put on a happy face.

“I’m gonna miss ya son, you be sure and stop by when you can and you stay in touch, I wanna know how things are going.” 

“We will.” Dean said as he voice cracking slightly before he could stop it as he blinked back the tears.

“Bobby you take care of our boy and train him right.” Hank told Bobby shaking his hand firmly a silent communication passing between the older men.

“I'll do my best, might have to knock some sense into his hard head every once and a while.” Bobby told him with a nod. “Well don’t just stand there, go get in the truck.” he ordered in a gruff voice.

“Yes sir.” Dean said picking his packs back up and with a final wave to Hank headed out the front door.

"You're gonna owe me for this." he whispered to Hank.

“Be safe out there Bobby.” Hank told him ignoring his jab.

“You can count on it.” 

spn

Bobby looked over at Dean in the passenger seat and saw he had nodded off. He looked so innocent slumped against the window with his mouth slightly open and a thin line of drool beginning to slip down his chin. He didn't look like the tough, street wise kid Bobby had first seen at the bar. Maybe one day Dean would trust him enough to tell him his story. As far as he knew, no one knew his last name or what was in his past that he didn't want people to know. He knew how experienced Dean was at becoming invisible to the people around him by watching him at the bar. Dean could walk through the place and not a single customer would even notice him. It was like he could turn himself into a ghost and vanish. Bobby checked his location and saw he was near the exit he needed to take to meet Clay at some motel to go over the case he had found. Clay was a newbie hunter and usually worked with someone else, but they had been injured in a hunt and was recuperating. Since Bobby was the closest hunter available, he got the unfortunate pleasure of being his partner for this hunt. It wasn't he didn't want to help, but the newbie hunters could be a pain in the ass.

Dean felt the shift of the truck as it slowed and roused from his sleep quickly wiping the drool from his chin. He glanced over at Bobby to see if he had noticed and saw the older hunter wasn't looking at him. He straightened up and looked around to see where they were. Bobby was pulling into a non-descript motel and drove slowly toward the back of the building looking for a beat up old Ford truck. He spotted it at the end of the parking lot and pulled up beside it. Bobby flipped open his phone and punched in a number waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, I'm here." Bobby growled into the phone. "Room 19, got it." he said hanging up. "Come on kid, let's go meet this ya who."

"Alright." Dean said opening the door to slip out and stand by the truck stretching his young body while looking around. Dean didn't know why this felt so right, but he knew this was what he was meant to do. He didn't know how, but becoming a hunter was going to help him find his brother. He knew Bobby was the person to train him too. He might act like a hard ass, but he knew he was a softy underneath it all. Of course Bobby would deny even the mere mention of that and jack you up if you said anything even remotely related to it. Dean followed Bobby to the room and waited as he knocked on the door.

A/N: So Dean is now on the last path back to his brother. Bobby will be his final guide. Hope you have enjoyed Hank and he will appear again later on in the story. If you have a moment, please comment. NC


	26. Chapter 26

"Ya might as well get over it, sulking's not gonna work." Bobby grumbled to the boy who was pouting beside him in the truck. He sat stiffly looking out the window ignoring Bobby. "I told ya if you wanted to do this, it was gonna be my way did I not?" he questioned waiting for an answer. When Dean didn't say anything he prompted him. "I can't hear you." 

"Yes." Dean mumbled just barely loud enough to be heard.

"What's that?" 

"Yes sir." Dean said louder and will a little more force. 

"That's more like it. Now we're heading home and your training will start tomorrow. Any problem with that?"

"No sir." Dean pouted still mad that he wasn't allowed to help with the dispersal of the vengeful spirit. Bobby had made him set it out at the motel while Clay and him took care of the job. 

“Good to hear it. We’ll be rolling into Sioux Falls in about four hours; figured we’d stop and grab a bite to eat ‘fore we get there.” Bobby said continuing his one sided conservation.

Dean knew Bobby was right to not take him along on the hunt, but it still it made him mad about not going. He had learned a lot in his reading of the books Bobby had lent him, but the physical training part was another story. It wasn’t that he was helpless, but he knew there was much more to learn when you're fighting spirits or vampires or werewolves versus fighting a human. 

“Can we get burgers?” Dean finally spoke to Bobby after another hour of driving in silence.

“I’m sure the diner has burgers and fries if that’s what you want.” he answered glancing sideway at the boy and seeing the broody, pouting face was gone. Bobby hoped this was not a preview of what he was going to be dealing with as the teenage years fast approached. Damn what had he got himself into? He hoped that taking this kid in to train was not a big mistake.

spn

The truck pulled into the salvage yard and Dean looked around curiously at all the junk cars, equipment and other items sitting in the shadows around a two story house and a number of outbuildings. This looked like a very interesting place for a person to explore. 

“Well grab yer bag and let’s get inside, I’m ready for a good nights sleep and six am’s gonna come early in the morning.” he told Dean fishing his own bags from the back of the truck. “Come on I’ll show you your room. Probably need clean sheets on the bed and airing out, but it’ll do for tonight.”

After shouldering his pack and picking up the other bag of clothes, Dean followed Bobby into the house and up the stairs to the second floor. Dean looked around Bobby and into a room that had two twin beds, dressers, a chair, nightstand and lamp and a chest at the end of one bed. He stepped in and gave the room a once over before sitting his bag on the bed nearest the door. 

“Bathroom’s across the hall there, towels and linen in the closet beside it. If ya need anything let me know. Now get some sleep.” he said turning to leave.

“Bobby.” Dean called to him before he walked too far away.

“Yeah kid?”

“Thank you.” he said as honestly as he could.

“I’d hold off thanking me until your training’s done. Don’t think I’ll go easy on ya either, I won’t be pulling any punches. That is if you last that long.” he told him before heading down the stairs.

Dean dug his bathroom bag out of his pack and stopped at the linen closet to get a towel, washcloth and hand towel before going on into the bathroom. He placed the towels on the sink and got his tooth brush and paste out to brush his teeth. After relieving himself and washing his hands and face, he stopped again at the closet for fresh sheets for one of the beds in his room. He moved his bag and quickly made the bed pulling the blanket and quilt from the chest up onto the bed. He changed into sleep clothes and slipped between the soft sheets letting his head sink into the pillow. Dean didn't realized how tired he actually was and let his mind shut down quickly drifting off to sleep.

spn

Trevor looked around to find himself standing by a calm, serene lake. He looked around searching for the boy of his dreams. It had been a long time since there was any real contact between them except for an occasional feather like, passing touch. Trevor had tried for months to reach him, but something was stopping their connection and he thought it was from the boy. It had happened that one night when he had the nightmare and could feel the other’s tortured pain. It was like he was trying to protect him from that pain so he wouldn’t suffer too. There were times he was sure someone else was watching him in his dreams just out of sight in the shadows where he couldn’t be seem. He didn’t know why the boy had being so distant and he missed his visits. Trevor saw the outline of a body right at the edge of the woods and took a hesitate step toward it for fear he would disappear.

“Hello.” Trevor spoke to the shadowy form. “Is that you? Where have you been, I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve not forgotten you.” a young male voice whispered on the wind as it floated around Trevor’s head. “I will find you.” the voice said fading away just like the shadow in the trees began to shimmer and waver before vanishing. 

“I’ll be waiting.” he whispered opening his eyes for a moment to see his bedroom in the dim light of the nightlight. He lay there for a moment thinking about the other boy and what he had said. He made a mental note to do some research on dreams and mental connections. He rolled over deciding it was too early to be up and tried to go back to sleep.

spn

“It’s six am wake up.” Bobby called slapping Dean’s leg to wake him. 

Dean came awake with his knife in his hand ready to do battle. He looked frantically around the room before landing on Bobby who was standing there staring at him. 

“Well at least ya have the sense to keep a weapon handy.” he commented. “Get dressed to run, wanna see at least five miles to start with before breakfast.” he ordered before leaving.

Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Dean pulled himself out of bed and looked through his pack for sweats and tee shirt. He was running low on clean clothes and needed to do laundry sometime in the next couple of days. Picking out some clothes, he headed for the bathroom and then went searching for the older hunter.

spn

Dean was breathing heavily when he stumbled up the steps of the deck and made his way back into the house. Bobby looked up at the sweaty boy as he sipped his coffee. Laying the paper down, he went to the stove and got a plate of food to sit down in front of the boy along with a bottle of water that Dean greedily grabbed and guzzled several large swallows. 

“Thanks.” Dean huffed drawing in deep breaths.

“After ya eat we’ll see just how much you know.” Bobby said pouring more coffee into his cup.

“Can I have a cup?” Dean asked eyeing the coffee.

“No, ya can have milk or juice or water don’t need to stunt your growth.” Bobby informed him. “Eat you got twenty minutes to be outside.” he said strolling to the other room. 

spn

Dean ate the food in front of him and rinsed his dishes before leaving them in the sink. He took a deep breathe and headed out the door wondering what Bobby had in mind next. He found him sitting on the deck sharpening several throwing knifes watching the sun make an appearance over the trees. 

“So have you ever shot a gun?”

“Yes.”

“What kind?” he questioned surprised with the yes.

“I’m not sure, it’s a small hand gun, it’s in my pack.” Dean volunteered. 

“You have a gun? Where’d you get it?” 

“Does it matter?” he asked stiffening slightly, staring at him just daring him to question further.

Bobby studied the angry expression on Dean’s face and the sudden wall he threw up. Without missing a beat he changed the subject figuring he would explore that matter later.

“Can you throw a knife?”

“Yes, a friend taught me.” Dean replied still staring at him warily to see if he was going to ask anything else about the gun.

“Here take these two and see if you can hit that wall over there.” Bobby instructed him pointing to a wooden wall attached to a metal building by the house. 

Dean accepted the knives and stepped away from Bobby checking them for balance before facing the wall and quickly tossing the knife and followed through with the other. Both knives stuck into the wall side by side. Dean turned at looked at Bobby waiting for his to say something.

“Not bad, mark you a target and practice throwing for twenty minutes.”

“Yes sir.” Dean said walking to the wall and pulling the knives out. He looked around and found a piece of metal to mark an X on the wooden wall before stepping back a reasonable distance and began throwing the knives working on his accuracy. 

Bobby sat down in a chair on the deck and watched the boy concentrate on his throwing. He had to admit he wasn’t half bad, with training Bobby thought he would be a formable hunter. Dean brought the knives back to Bobby and waited to see what he wanted him to do next.

“Done any fighting?”

“Little, I had some martial arts training a while back and some hand to hand before coming to Hank‘s.”

“Ok, let’s see you throw a couple of punches.” he said holding up his hands to him.

After bouncing slightly and getting his balance, Dean punched at Bobby’s hands throwing several rights and following through with a left. He continued this for ten minutes before Bobby dropped his hands for him to stop.

“Alright, we need to strengthen those muscles of yours, drop and give me twenty-five pushups, sit ups, jumping jacks and after that see how many pull ups you can do on that bar over there.” 

Dean looked at him for a moment and dropped to the ground to do the pushups counting quietly to himself. The muscles in his biceps started to burn by the time he hit twenty and his arms were starting to tremble when he finally counted twenty-five. He rolled over puffing and started to do the sit ups in a steady cadence. He got up and shook his body out as he walked to the bar. Taking a deep breathe, he jumped and caught the bar and began to pull his body up counting each one until he dropped after fifteen. He walked around drawing in deep breathes letting the pain in his arms ease up. He looked over at Bobby who was eyeing him closely. 

“Alright jog out to that wrecked pickup and back but weave back and forth like you’re dodging objects.” he told him. “Do that twenty times and come on inside when you’re finished.”

“Yes sir.” he grunted doing as Bobby instructed and began jogging toward the wreck. Dean was determined to not let Bobby see how tired and sore he was. He wasn’t about to give up on the first day of training no matter how hard it was. He knew Bobby was doing this for his own good, to get him ready for the unexpected. From what Bobby had told him and what he had read, no two hunts were ever the same even if it was the same type of creature; you had to be ready for the anything and that is why he was going to give it his all.


	27. Chapter 27

"Go on get ya a shower." Bobby told Dean when he came in red faced with sweat dripping off him and breathing hard. 

"Okay." he replied heading for the stairs pausing for a moment at the bottom to catch his breathe before going on up. A hot shower was exactly what Dean wanted right now. He had muscles he didn't know he had that were hurting like a bitch. 

Dean stripped out of his sweaty clothes and turned the water on letting it get hot. He groaned in pain and pleasure when he stepped into the hot spray letting it beat on his sore body. He stretched his back and twisted his neck trying to work some of the soreness out before soaping down and finishing his shower. He stepped from the tub and used a towel to dry himself off before wrapping it around his waist. Dean picked up his dirty clothes and carried them into the bedroom. 

Bobby came up with some liniment for Dean's sore muscles and faltered in the doorway of his bedroom staring at Dean's scarred back. He quickly stepped back before Dean saw him and spoke before entering the bedroom. He blanked his face of any emotions as he made his presence known. So now he knew a lot more about this boy than he did and started putting two and two together. Someone had beaten him and no telling what else he suffered through. Now he understood the reason he didn't want to be touched by others.

"Got you something for your sore muscles." Bobby called as he stepped to the doorway to see Dean had quickly slipped on a tee shirt covering his body.

"Thanks." he mumbled accepting the tube of cream.

"Got a couple of cars I need to work on this afternoon. You interested in learning about mechanics?"

"Yes definitely; think I can do some laundry in the next day or so?" Dean perked up. He liked cars and couldn't pass up the opportunity to learn how to work on them.

"Sure, the washer and dryer are downstairs in the basement, help yerself."

"Thanks." he said watching Bobby walk away. Bobby didn't act like he saw his back so Dean let it go. He finished getting dressed and gathered up his dirty clothes to do laundry.

spn

"Hand me a wrench." Bobby told Dean as he leaned into the engine bay of the car.

"Okay." he said reaching around and into a tool box to get the tool. Dean watched closely as Bobby took off the water pump and examined it.

"Think you can put the new one on?" he asked Dean looking into his excited face.

"Sure!" he answered moving to where Bobby had been standing and picked up the part looking at it before positioning it where the old one had been. He used the tools Bobby handed him and with a little prompting from the older man had the pump installed in no time. Dean stood back and beamed happily with his success.

"Not bad son, I think ya might make a good mechanic." Bobby praised him.

"Thanks Bobby. What's next?" he asked looking around for another car.

"Slow down kid, you don't have to learn it all in one day. It's 'bout dinner time anyway." he told him pleased he able to pick things up so quickly. "Come on let's eat and afterwards ya can do some studying."

"Okay." he huffed wiping his dirty hands on a rag before following him back inside. "What am I going to be studying this time?"

"Well, ya need to know how use the laptop to search out what might be possible cases and how to research the net."

"Sounds interesting." Dean replied glad it wasn't going to be reading a book again. He didn't mind reading but it got boring after a while. He was more a hands on type of person and learned from actually doing the job. Once he was shown something, Dean found he could store that information in his brain for later use. 

spn

Bobby watched Dean's head slowly slump forward as he tried to keep himself awake as he pulled up search engines looking for strange deaths or unusual disappearances. Dean was dead on his feet from all the physical activity he had done that day and working on cars. 

"Dean why don't ya head on to bed, six am is gonna come early in the mornin'." he told the boy causing him to jerk his head upright. 

"I'm fine." he said trying to suppress a yawn.

“Here.” Bobby said sitting an alarm clock on the desk. “It’s gonna be up to you to get up each morning and start your trainin’. I’m not gonna be yer nursemaid or yer Momma, if you're really serious about this fool notion of hunting, ya gotta take responsibility. I expect ya to do yer running, basic workout and knife throwing each mornin’ but Sunday, ya can have the day off.” he explained to him. "We'll start ya on guns in a couple of weeks."

“I will.” Dean replied forcing himself to wake up more. “I wanna do this. I'm gonna do this.”

“We’ll work on cars in the afternoon; get ya up to speed on them.” 

“Yes sir. I think I will go on to bed.” he decided picking up the clock and heading for the stairs. Dean trudged up the stairs feeling the aches and pains throughout his body. Bobby was going to be a tough drill instructor, but he didn’t expect any less. If he was going to be good at this, he needed to learn from the best.

spn

 

The first week of training for Dean was brutal as he forced himself to work through the soreness and pain of the exercises. He dug deep and did everything Bobby asked of him. It was tough and there were times he wondered if he had it in him to continue but somewhere deep down he found that little spark that told him to get up and keep going. He was not giving up no matter how hard the training got. If anything, Dean was too stubborn to stop. 

The next several months sailed by with Dean falling into a routine of training each morning and working on cars in the afternoon and learning more about the supernatural in the evenings before bed. He began to put on muscle and inches with another growth spurt. Bobby was finding that he was a very quick study and was learning how to adapt and access situations for all possible outcomes. He was letting him be more involved with doing research for other hunters so he could learn how to do it for himself. From what he was seeing in the boy, he knew he was going to be a formable hunter one day. Bobby now saw what Hank did in the boy and how he came to love him like a son. After a lot of yelling and arguing and threatening, Bobby finally got Dean to agree to online schooling so he could finish high school. Bobby had gone to the school to get everything set up for it to happen. He had given him his last name and got a fake birth certificate for him. The story he gave was Dean's parents had been killed in an accident and he had taken the boy in and given him a home. He knew without a doubt that Dean would not actually attend school and didn’t bothering wasting his time asking. At least this way he could go ahead and get his high school diploma.

spn

Trevor gathered his school supplies and put them in his backpack getting ready for the first day of the school year. He had impressed the teachers at his school with his intelligence and was already several years ahead of others his age. Joshua and Emily were so proud of him and encouraged him to explore new things that interested him. He still played soccer and was adding track this school year. Trevor was becoming very adept on the laptop and was studying everything he could on programming and had become quiet the hacker. Of course he didn’t let his parents know about the hacking part. He had learned to cover his tracks like an expert and never did anything that would cause harm to anyone. His objectives were to see if he could do it look around and get out, no one the wiser. He kept a low profile since he didn't want to get on anyone's radar because of his actions.

Trevor still tried to find the boy at night in his dreams wanting to keep the connection open but it was getting weaker the older he got. He would still hear the soft words; I will find you, whispered in his head and held on to that. He believed that they were destined to meet some day and he just had to have faith that it would happen when the time was right. 

One Year Gone

Dean moved quietly through the abandoned building searching for a vampire Bobby and he had tracked here. Bobby had gone around the back to stop his escape. Scurrying sounds in the next room had Dean in full hunter mode as he gripped his machete tightly and slipped through the shadows searching as he stalked. He didn't wait for Bobby to come from the other side, instead continued in his search breaking one of Bobby's rules to never go in alone.

Before he could slink into the other room a dark form launched at Dean knocking him to the ground. Dean went down hard and rolled as an iron pipe was swung down toward his head. He kicked out knocking the vampire's legs out from under him causing him to crash to the floor beside him. He swung out with the machete but it was blocked and knocked from his hand. The two faced off, Dean having a disadvantage since he was smaller, but he was fast and struck hard. The male vampire caught Dean's fist and threw him back into the wall and stalked toward him as he tried to push himself up and clear his blurry vision so he could see his opponent. The vampire hissed madly and grabbed Dean around the neck in a deadly grip as his fangs descended. Dean tried to break free but blackness was spreading through his mind as he tried to get air into his lungs. He was on the brink of passing out when the pressure was gone and he sucked a shaky breathe of air in as he slid down the wall. 

“You okay boy?” Bobby asked wiping his machete on the vampire’s shirt.

“Yeah.” he said hoarsely rubbing his neck and looking down at the beheaded body of the vampire.

“Need to work on your upswing.” 

“Okay.” he said clearing his throat and getting up. 

“Grab the head, I’ll get the body, we need to get it outside and burn it.”

“Alright.” Dean replied doing what Bobby said.

spn

“So tell me did I give you rules just to ignore them? Was I talking just to hear my jaws flap or did you even listen to me?”

"No sir, I shouldn't of gone deeper into the building until you were closer to back me up." he replied looking down at his shoes.

"What should you have done differently?"

“Not let it get the drop on me for one thing.” Dean muttered mad he let the vamp get the better of him. He thought he had him, but it was the other way around.

“And how would you do that smart ass?”

“Be more careful when entering a room, don’t let them grab you and don’t let them bite you.” 

"And..."

"Wait for backup, sir." he finally said knowing Bobby wouldn't let it go until he was sure Dean understood his mistake and how close he came to getting hurt. 

“Let this be a learning lesson and don’t let it happen again.” he instructed. "Next time I might not get there in time and Hank would have my ass if I let that happen."

“I won’t and I think you could take him.”

“Don’t forget to write it up.” he continued ignoring his jab.

“I won’t.” Dean replied settling down in the passenger seat. “We gonna stop by Hank’s on the way back?”

“Thought we would, haven’t seen him in three months and it’s not that much out of the way.”

“Be good to see him and catch up.” he sighed closing his eyes as his tired body began to relax and he drifted to sleep.

Bobby looked over at the sleeping teenager and sighed. That was a close one today; at least he didn’t get hurt. He had been taking Dean on hunts for a couple of months now without any major injuries. He had to be stitched up a couple of times and had his dislocated shoulder put back in place, but nothing that required hospitalization. With each hunt he was honing his skills and learning what worked and what didn't. He knew with more practice and time, Dean could become one of the best.

spn

To get his point across to the hard headed boy, Bobby wouldn't let him go on any hunts for three months stating he needed more training. Of course Dean being Dean threw a childish temper tantrum of all times and Bobby ended it with a sparing match between the two. After taking him down a couple of notches and putting him on his ass quiet a few times, Dean conceded to the punishment he had been given. 

Bobby got on the phone and called a hunter acquaintance who he knew had a son around Dean’s age who had been in the life since he was five when the rest of their family had been slaughtered by a nest of vampires. The father went into the life and took his son with him. He talked him into letting Caleb stay with him for a month to help with Dean’s training. He figured it would help Dean to have someone his age who had been hunting longer than him to spar with and learn from. And maybe he would make a new friend his age. It actually worked out well since Steve was teaming with several other hunters to head down to Texas to hunt a pack Chupacubras that had crossed the border and didn’t want Caleb going with them.

Dean was opposed with the idea, but after Caleb got there and they sized each other up, they became friends. Dean learned quickly from Caleb and he even taught him a few new moves. He had never really had any friends his age so this was all new to him. Caleb never pushed or questioned Dean’s past only to ask where he had learned some of his moves and why did he become a hunter. He never told Caleb about his search for his brother. Dean had not connected with Sammy in a while, but he could feel the little threads of him reaching out to him. He kept his wall up and kept him at an arm's reach. Caleb told Dean about his family and how his father started hunting bringing him up in it. They talked about hunts and creatures, some Dean had not heard of yet, cars and life. When Steve came back for Caleb a month and half later, Dean was sad to see his friend go. They said their farewells and Steve promised to stop by when they were near so the boys could see each other. Dean and Caleb promised to stay in touch because they knew their lives would cross paths again since they were now hunters.

Two Years Gone 

The months flew by and Bobby was letting Dean go on more hunts with him and even letting him take the lead on several of the less dangerous ones. He was proving to be an intense, formable hunter. When he was in hunter mode, Bobby could see the subtle changes in Dean and wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not. Nevertheless, he was going to make sure he got all the training possible to ensure his safety. They tried to stop by and see Hank every few months if they were in the area. Hank always enjoyed the visits and couldn’t believe how much Dean had grown from their last visit. Dean still thought of Aunt Fay and the others from Grand Island and hoped they were doing well. He planned on visiting some day to see if they were still there. They had helped him find his way when he needed help and he knew he could never repay them. 

Dean became better with using the laptop over the last two years, so he secretly started looking for his little brother but wasn’t having any luck finding out who adopted him. One of the main problems was that a lot of the old records were not on the computer but still on paper only. He decided when he was old enough to drive he would go back to Lawrence and start the search for him. Dean was not sure if he did find him, he would contact him if he was happy and safe. The life he had been dealt had changed him and he didn’t know if his little brother would even know him now.

spn

“Dean I’ve got a run to Sioux City today, you do your studies and training.” Bobby told him getting up from the table.

“Yes sir.” Dean replied finishing his breakfast.

“There’s two new cars in the garage if you wanna take a look at them.” 

“I will Bobby.” 

“I should be back around dinner time, I’ll pick us something up on the way back in.” 

“Sounds good.” he said running water to wash the dishes. He watched Bobby head for his truck, get in and pull out driving out of the salvage yard. Dean finished the dishes and strolled into the living room to get his school work done on the laptop. He was itching to get his hands on the cars and see what needed to be done. Dean had learned he had a knack with figuring out what was wrong with cars by listening to them run and feeling the vibes from the engine. There was something about the purr of a good engine that gave him great pleasure when he fixed them. He was becoming quite the grease monkey to Bobby's delight. He was getting the cars in and out quicker and had doubled his income and started paying Dean some for his work. 

spn

The radio was blaring out classic rock music as Dean slid out from under a car and wiped his hands off on a rag. He looked around and decided to explore the two other buildings to see what he could find. He knew one had an assortment of car parts and several cars stored under tarps. Dean strolled toward the first one and opened the door looking around before venturing in. He checked out the shelves looking at all the old parts and seeing if there was anything of interest he might be able to tinker with. 

Dean wandered around toward the back of the building finding the tarp covered cars. He decided to check out what Bobby had stored in there and lifted up the tarp closest to him to find an old muscle car that didn’t have an engine. Covering it back up he went to the next one and lifted the tarp up it to see a black hood that looked very familiar. He continued to pull the tarp off and stood back to look at a black ‘67 Impala. Dean began to tremble slightly as memories of this car flooded his mind. He walked closer to it and laid a shaking hand onto the hood wondering if there was anyway this was the same car and how in the world did Bobby come by it. 

Dean moved to the driver’s door and opened it to look inside. From what he could remember from his childhood, it looked the same inside too. It was setting on blocks so the rims wouldn’t warp so he was careful when he climbed into the driver's seat. Dean looked slowly around it and sucked in a deep breathe when he saw the box of eight track tapes in a shoe box sticking partly out from under the passenger seat. Dean pulled it out and fingered the tapes knowing for certain now this was his Dad’s car. Dean couldn’t help the tears that sprang to his eyes as he rubbed a hand over the wheel trying to image how in the world Bobby had his Dad's car and where his father could be after all these years. He sat in the car for a long time trying to go through all the scenarios that he could hoping to figure this out. He finally got out and headed back to the house to wait for Bobby.

A/N: Thank you to all who are reading, hope you like this little twist. Comments are nice. NC


	28. Chapter 28

Bobby walked into a silent house and looked around seeing a light in the kitchen. He took the food in there and found Dean sitting at the table with a bottle of whiskey in front of him and a glass that had a shot poured. He frowned at the boy wondering what he was missing. Dean had drunk an occasional beer, but had not showed any interest in the hard stuff until now. He didn’t know what had changed from this morning to now. Something was not right with Dean but he wasn't sure what.

“Dean something wrong son?” he asked slowly sitting the bag on the counter. 

Dean looked up at him with haunted eyes as his hand tightened into a fist. Bobby could see the anger on his face but didn’t know why. He poured a cup of coffee and waited for him to speak. Staring to get impatient, he finally growled out.

“Spit it out whatever has got your panties in a bind, I ain’t got all day.” 

“Where did you get that black ‘67 Impala in the storage building?” Dean finally got out in a dull no nonsense tone.

“You been snooping?” Bobby asked. 

“Just answer my question, I need to know.”

“’67 Impala you say?” Bobby thought sitting down across from him before answering. “It was years ago, probably nearly nine or ten I guess, had a big guy come through wanting some help and information. He was driving that car. I think I remember his name was John, don't think he told me his last name.”

“What happened to him?” Dean asked sitting up a little in the chair trying not to fend too much interest.

“Don’t know, it was maybe a year or two later two other hunter friends dropped the car here, said for me to hold it for this John guy, he’d be by to get it. When he didn’t show up after a couple of months, I stored it thinking one day he would want it. Guess that day never came. Now what’s the interest in that car for you?”

Dean looked up at him with pain filled eyes before speaking softly. “That was my Dad and that’s his car.” 

Bobby sat back in his chair and stared at the boy in shock. He wasn’t sure what to say or do. How did he comfort a boy who just found out that his father was probably dead? He was pretty sure if John were still alive, he would have come for the car by now.

“I’m sorry son; wish I could tell ya more. I ran across those two hunters later but they didn't know what happened to him. When was the last time you saw him?”

“Eleven years ago, he said he would be back for us.”

“What happened to yer Mom?”

“She died in a house fire right before Dad left us.” he mumbled deciding he had said enough.

It didn’t get by Bobby that Dean had said us and wondered who else Dean was talking about. It had to be a brother or sister, it was the only logical explanation he could come up with. This boy was so much more complex than he ever thought he could be. He watched the emotions flash across Dean’s face before they disappeared and his face became like stone, unreadable.

Dean looked down at the whiskey in the glass for a moment before picking it up and downing it in one swallow. He started coughing as the liquid burned all the way down to his stomach. He tried to draw in a short breathe so he could get air into his lungs while the tears trickle down his cheeks. He got up so fast his chair fell backwards as he ran from the house. Bobby watched in sadness as he saw through the open door Dean stalking into the junkyard. He knew better than to go after him when he was in so much pain even thought the only thing he wanted to do was wrap him in a bear hug; he needed to give him some space and hoped he came back to him.

spn

Trying to see through the tears that were blinding him, Dean stumbled into the junkyard and disappeared among the wrecks. His mind was whirling with so many flashes of images and thoughts and emotions he didn’t know what to do. He kept walking, bouncing off wrecked cars until he was at the very back of the yard near an old beat up pickup. He climbed in the back and sat on a back seat of some car he had put there a year ago. This was his private place where he came to think and be alone. Dean opened his mind and cast it out with such force he almost lost his fight with consciousness as he slumped back into the seat letting the sorrow and emotions wash over him.

spn

The wave of emotions that hit Trevor was so strong he almost blacked out. He was in his room studying and fell to the floor with the pain in his head. He clutched his temples and tried to control the onslaught enough that he could communicate. After a minute, he finally calmed the emotions to see a wavering picture of the boy who looked to be around fifteen or sixteen. Happiness filled his soul as he realized it was him, the boy he had been dreaming about all his life. This time it was different though since he wasn’t asleep. He remained on the floor afraid if he moved he might lose the connection. He relaxed and let his mind go accepting the energy and essence of the boy and feeling his utter despair and hopelessness.

“I’m here.” he whispered to him reaching out tentatively to touch his soul.

He could feel a change in the boy’s soul and didn’t quiet understand what could of happened to him. But that didn’t matter to him, all he knew was he needed to help him. Without pausing to worry about himself, Trevor pushed back and encompassed the trembling boy’s soul with his allowing him to draw on his strength. He felt when the boy sensed his presence and tried to pull away but Trevor wouldn’t let the connection be broken yet. 

spn

The connection he made wasn’t done intentionally. Dean could feel the pure essence circling his soul and he heard the soft words, I'm here as a shimmering image of his little brother floated in his mind. He had not made a link with him in a long time and felt bad about that. He wanted him to know he was still searching for him and to not give up hope, but he was not the same brother as what he used to be. He didn’t deserve to disrupt his brother’s life by inserting himself in it. He was damaged goods and didn’t know if he could be fixed. 

Dean pushed back against the force but found his brother had gotten stronger and wouldn’t let go. He felt the warm essence surround him and tried to comfort his pain. 

“No Sammy I don’t deserve to be your brother not after what I did.” he mumbled pulling out of the connection with a gentle stronger shove letting him know he had control. 

He slouched on the seat and let the hot tears flow unhindered down his face. Dean could only think of one reason that his Dad didn’t come back for his car by now and that was he was dead. There had always been that little glimmer of hope in the back of his mind that he would find his Dad again and they would find Sammy. Seeing his Dad’s car after all these years doused that little light leaving another void that couldn’t be filled. Dean didn’t move until the darkness descended around him and a chill caused him to shiver and bring him out of his thoughts.

spn

The image faded and the connection was lost as Trevor sat back leaning against his bed letting the tears fall down his face. He didn’t know what had happened in the boy’s life to cause such sorrow but wished he could do more for him. It had been a while since the boy had connected with him and at least he knew he was still out there. Their connection this time had been the strongest it had ever been and he was starting to feel that he could almost keep the connection long enough to find him. That was his goal, he wanted to find this boy and ask him why they were so in tune with each other. From all his research that he could find, he was sure there was a family relationship between them and wondered what his family wasn’t telling him. He pulled his journal from its hiding place and began to jot down notes about what had happened. Sam had been keeping a detailed log of each encounter so he could refer back to them when needed. He was going to find him one day that he was sure of.

spn

Bobby poured another cup of coffee and stirred the pot of stew on the stove while he waited patiently for Dean to come back. He let a sigh of relief out when the front door opened and he heard the footsteps of Dean heading for the kitchen.

“Got some stew heating.” he commented when Dean pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. 

“No thanks.” he mumbled opening the water and taking a long swallow.

“Look son, ya need to eat something.” he told him dishing the stew into two bowls. He sat them on the table and got a sleeve of crackers from the cabinet. “Have ya had anything since breakfast?”

Dean looked at the stew and heard his stomach rumble slightly when he caught a scent of it. He took a seat across from Bobby and accepted a few crackers. He took a bite and chewed slowly trying to swallow it before he choked. His stomach rebelled from the stew and he switched to a cracker to see if that would calm the churning he was experiencing. 

Bobby watched Dean out of the corner of his eye noticing his red rimmed, blood shot eyes and the pallor of his skin. Not knowing Dean’s story left him in the dark that he didn’t know about his father. He seemed really upset when told about him, that pretty much ruled out abuse by him, so that still didn’t explain why he was on the streets or what he might be running from.

“Bobby, I wanna get the Impala running again.” Dean said softly. “I’ll be sixteen soon and it’ll give me something to drive.” 

“Sure son, guess it’s rightfully your’s anyways. It's too nice a car to not be on the road.” 

“Thanks.” he said looking down at his bowl. “I’ll pay you for whatever I use of yours.”

“We’ll get it pulled out and you can do the work on it. I think I got a set of used tires in the garage that should fit it. Don‘t ya worry none about any payment, I‘m sure ya can work it off helping me in the garage.”

“Okay, I think I’ll get a shower and go to bed.” Dean replied getting up to put his bowl in the sink.

“Alright son and Dean if there’s anything ya want to talk about I’m here son.” 

“I’m fine.” he said heading out of the kitchen for the stairs. Dean was not in a place emotionally that he could relive what had happened to him just yet. He knew Bobby meant well, but that story was going to have to wait for another day; he was overwhelmed and drained of emotions for now. He couldn’t take anymore today.

spn

The hot water beat down on Dean’s back as he stood bracing himself with his hands against the shower wall. He raised his head and let it pound on his head for a moment feeling some of the pain ease and his breathing got deeper as his head cleared. Dean let the stress and tension wash off his body and go down the drain until the water started to cool. He turned the water off and dried his tired body before dressing in sleep clothes and heading to bed.

It was still early but Dean couldn’t keep his eyes open as he settled down in his bed and watched out the window as the day slowly turned to night and dreams began to invade his mind. Hot flames licked around him as a warm bundle was thrust into his arms and his Dad told him to run. He moaned softly in his sleep and rolled over as the dream switched to a dark, cold room and a small, broken body lying at his feet. Dean cried out in his sleep until a gentle hand lay two fingers on his forehead sending him deeper into a peaceful sleep and vanishing the nightmares from his mind. 

“Soon my child you will find what you seek. It is up to you what you do and what path you take, choose wisely young one; it’s not only your fate you hold in your hands.” the angel whispered to the sleeping boy. “Rest easy Dean.”

spn

Trevor moved restlessly in his bed as images he couldn’t quiet hold on to flitted through his mind making him moan softly. It was like the brothers were still connected and sharing their dreams. The angel stood by his bed and looked down on the restless boy before laying two fingers to his forehead putting him deeper into sleep that was peaceful and calm. After the stress left his face, Trevor looked younger than his twelve years of age. 

“Time is near, do not give up hope, you will see your brother soon. You must have patience with him; he did not have the life you have received. With your support he will be made whole again.” the angel whispered to the young boy. “I will continue to watch over you both in the coming days.” 

The angel brushed a finger over his cheek before disappearing into the darkness. He had grown fond of the two brothers and wished he could do more to help them but his orders were specific and he always followed his orders.

A/N: So we know a little more about John now, is he dead??? Or did something else happen to him??? We’ll have to wait and see, but at least Dean has his Baby. Thank you to all for continuing this journey with me. You know what to do; I do so love to hear your thoughts. NC


	29. Chapter 29

Still half asleep, Dean trudged into kitchen the next morning heading for the fridge to pour a glass of juice. He snagged a couple slices of bread and popped them in the toaster as he shook his body awake. He noticed Bobby sitting at the table sipping coffee and reading the paper. Once the bread was ready, he took a seat across from him and picked up some jam for his toast. 

"Morning Bobby." he greeted the older man.

"Morning son, how ya feeling today?"

"I'm fine." he replied concentrating hard on putting jam on his bread. "Bobby what did my Dad want when he came by here?"

Bobby folded the paper and laid it on the table before answering him.

"Well, if memory serves me right he wanted to check some of my books, said he was doing research. Seems like he asked me some vague questions about the supernatural and tracking creatures. He asked about other hunters and who were the best and I gave him a few names; that's about it. He left the same day." 

"So my Dad was hunting something, Bobby was he becoming a hunter?" 

"Well, I guess he was. I do remember one other thing, he was very intense, determined, strong minded man." he told him. "Wish I could tell ya more."

"Thanks Bobby." Dean answered. "After all this time, do you think he's alive out there somewhere?"

"Son, I wish I could tell ya what happened to yer Dad, but I don't know. Being a hunter is a dangerous business and most don't live to a ripe old age. I do think if he was alive, he'd be looking for his boys." he said softly watching Dean worry with his toast before finally taking a bite. He wasn't going to lie to the boy or sugar coat the facts; it was highly unlikely that his father was still alive.

spn

The months that followed had Dean working diligently on the Impala to get her back to running again. Bobby was true to his word, he let Dean do the work only helping when needed. He guided him through some of the more technical things and was impressed at how much he had already picked up with his teaching. Bobby had taken him to the DMV and he had got his learner’s permit. Dean had been driving for over a year and he was proud that he could actually be legal to drive on the road now. 

Bobby had given in and taken Dean on a number of hunts during this time and he had proved himself a worthy hunter. His knowledge of the creatures and his skill at problem solving were quickly becoming impressive. It still didn’t stop Dean from getting injured in a hunt. Thankfully the worse was only a mild concussion and a broken arm. He could interpret the different scenarios and choose which one would be the best choice for the job. Bobby had Dean helping other hunters with planning out their hunts if help was needed. Only a few trusted ones had ever met Dean since he tried to stay out of the limelight and in the shadows. 

Dean liked Pastor Jim and had stayed with him a few times when Bobby when on dangerous hunts and would not take him no matter had much Dean begged. Bobby still could not get Dean to talk about what had happened to him growing up so he didn’t push him for fear of losing him. Dean had become the son he never had and he loved the boy dearly. He hoped one day Dean would trust him enough to tell him about his life before Hank. He asked if he wanted to use his real name for his license and he told him he was proud to have Bobby's last name. So Dean decided to use the fake birth certificate Bobby had made up last year when he went for his license. 

spn

“Are ya ready?” Bobby asked as Dean sat behind the wheel of the Impala ready to crank it for the first time.

Dean looked up at the man in expectation as he turned the key and listened to the engine turn over but not crank. He waited a few seconds and tried it again to have it catch and roar to life. Sheer joy shone from his face as he looked up at Bobby letting the car idle in the garage. 

“Sounds good there son.” 

“Get in, let’s go down the road.” he told Bobby as he shut the door and waited for Bobby to get in on the other side.

“Just go easy on her; she’s not been on the road in a long time.”

“I will.” he said pulling from the garage and heading out of the salvage yard. He stopped at the end of the drive and reached down to pull an eight track from the box and insert it into the opening waiting for it to play. After adjusting the volume, he pulled onto the road and headed for town. The Impala purred under his touch as he gave it more gas. Old memories came back to him of riding in the back seat with his little brother and he bit his lip to keep his emotions in check. He looked away for a moment to wipe a tear from his eye so Bobby wouldn’t see it.

“Why don’t ya stop and fill her up. I figure you’ll wanna take her to drive when you get your license next week.” Bobby suggested the sadness not getting past him. He guessed he was thinking about his father and possibly memories of riding in the car when he was young. 

“Yeah, Baby could do with a fill up.” he agreed heading for the gas station. 

“Baby uh, suits her.” 

Dean stopped at the gas station and got out to fill up the Impala and Bobby went in to pay. He looked around the area assessing it for any danger as he waited. He never let his guard down anymore now that he had started hunting. A threat could come from anywhere, at anytime and he always tried to be prepared. He didn’t go anywhere without being armed with a handgun and knife. He pulled the nozzle from the car and put the cap back on looking up when Bobby strolled back out with a bottle of water and cup of coffee in his hands.

“Here, thought you could use something to drink.” he told him holding the water out to him.

“Thanks.” Dean said accepting the water. He cranked Baby back up and let her settle into a loud growl before pulling away from the pump.

spn

“You ready?” Bobby asked him when Dean strolled into the kitchen.

“Yep.” Dean said trying to control his nerves about going to get his license. Today was the big day. He had been practicing all week with his Baby to be prepared for the road test. 

“You’ll be fine, you can do this in yer sleep.” Bobby assured him. “I figure afterwards we could celebrate by eating dinner out.”

“Sounds good, I’d like that.” Dean agreed pulling out of the yard and heading for the DMV. He tried to control his breathing to calm his nerves as he wiped his sweaty palms on his shirt sleeves before gripping the wheel again. 

spn

Two and a half hours later Dean walked from the DMV with his license in hand. He sighed with relief that it was over with and he passed the first time. He realized how hungry he was and couldn’t wait to eat dinner. 

“You did good son, I’m proud of ya.” Bobby said carefully placing a hand on his shoulder waiting to see if he would accept his touch. 

“Thanks Bobby.” Dean said letting Bobby’s hand rest on his shoulder for a few seconds before stepping out from under it. “I’m starved let’s go eat.”

“Alright.” he said getting in the passenger seat while Dean slid behind the wheel.

“I got ‘em Baby.” he whispered as he ran his hand gently around the steering wheel. "We're all legal now."

Bobby watched in amusement as Dean talked to the car like it was alive. He saw how attached he had become to the car as he worked to get her running. He knew this was the only link he had to his father now. Bobby had put out feelers to see if he could find out what had happened to him but had not gotten any news from his contacts.

spn

Trevor was in his Dad’s office looking for some index cards. He was searching through a desk drawer not paying attention to the filing cabinet beside him. The angel unlocked the drawer of the filing cabinet and carefully pulled it open enough to grab one file and pull it up so it would be noticed. He moved something on the cabinet to draw the boy’s attention that way before stepping back out of the way. 

A noise caught Trevor’s attention and he looked over at the filing cabinet to see a drawer slightly open and a file sticking up. Curiosity made him pull the folder from the drawer and read the label, ‘Adoption’ printed in bold black ink. He sat back slowly and placed the folder on the desk before opening it up. Inside he found a picture of a baby that looked about a year old and a birth certificate for a Samuel Winchester, born in Lawrence, Kansas to a Mary and John Winchester. It was like time stopped as he looked at adoption papers with his parent’s names on them. He thumbed through the file and read paperwork from an orphanage in Lawrence telling about how he and his brother, Dean, became wards of the state when their father abandoned them and there had been a fire that killed their mother. He hade a brother, now he knew who the boy was in his dreams. They went on to tell how he was adopted but his brother remained at the orphanage. Sam sat back and let all this sink in as his mind began to process it all. 

“Sam.” he said out loud realizing how right that sounded. “Sam, my name is Sam Winchester.” 

He took the birth certificate and the page that gave the name and address for the orphanage with him before replacing the file back in the drawer. Sam went to his room and opened his laptop to start researching the papers in Lawrence, Kansas to see if there were any articles about a fire. It took him nearly thirty minutes to find the right one. There was even a picture of a man holding a baby and a boy sitting on a car attached to the article. He gazed at the picture for a long time memorizing the faces of his father and brother. He read through the article several times learning that the fire started in his bedroom and his mother had died in there. The fire was written up as being started by an electrical short in the wiring. He couldn’t find any other write ups after the fire and started a search on his brother. 

It took him less time to find the article that had his brother’s name in it and read over it looking at the date of the article. Sam thought back to that time and now knew why he had that nightmare of the boy, his brother was being hurt. From what the article reported, Sam was sure he knew what the horrible experience his brother had to endure at the hands of his foster father. The authorities could not find a trace of Dean anywhere after the fire. They put out a Missing Person's Report but never got any leads and the case went cold. Sam decided his brother ran and disappeared instead of taking the chance of another bad foster family. This was going to make finding him all that harder, but for some reason he knew the starting place was Lawrence, Kansas. A plan began to form in his mind as he quickly began typing. He found a train that would take him to Grand Island and there he could catch another one on to Lawrence. He bought the tickets in his real name and printed them out. 

After getting his pack out, Sam packed all the clothes he thought he would need and retrieved his stash of cash he had been saving up. His adopted parents were going to take Danny to the zoo tomorrow and he was sure he could convince them to leave him at home alone. That would give him nearly a day’s head start and he would leave a note too for them not to worry he knew the truth and was going to find his brother. There was no doubt in his mind that he needed to find Dean and the best place to start was where it began. He had the same problem as Dean trying to access the records from the orphanage since they had never been put on a computer. He went over in his mind all that he had packed to determine if he forgot anything. Before closing his pack, Sam decided to throw some crackers and granola bars in his pack to have something to munch on. Now all he needed was to get his adopted parents to agree to leave him behind.

spn

Sam watched his adopted parents and brother pull out of the driveway and waited for them to get out of the neighborhood. He still felt like Danny was his brother, even thought he really wasn't. He took the note he wrote and laid it on the kitchen table pinning it down with a salt shaker. Sam took one more look around the house before shouldering his pack and computer bag and heading out to the bus stop to catch it to the train station to begin his journey to his brother. 

He was lucky the weather was mild for April and Sam was glad as he walked the mile to the bus stop. He took a seat and waited for the next one that was to arrive in fifteen minutes. The bus would get him to the station to catch the eight am train to Grand Island. He was going to have a four hour lay over there until he could catch the next train to Lawrence. Sam walked with a spring in his step and lightness to his soul. He now knew why things didn’t seem right to him and why his name seemed so wrong. He didn’t hate his adopted parents; they had been good to him and loved him, but he couldn’t understand why he was adopted and not his brother too. That was a question for another time; right now all that mattered was getting to the train station. 

A/N: So Sam now knows he's adopted and has a brother and has started his own search. Hope you enjoyed. Thank you for all the continued support. It's getting near, the boys will find each other. Please comment. NC


	30. Chapter 30

The train ride took four hours and Sam took that time to think about his brother, wondering where he was at now and if he was safe. He knew from the last vision he was alive, but that had been months ago and there had been no other contact with him. Sam had tried to reach out but was met with some type of barrier that he couldn't break through. He figured it was Dean's way of protecting himself. Being on his own was a little scary, but he was smart and knew if he was careful he would be fine. Working out at the gym, soccer and running track had helped strengthen Sam physically. He looked around the depot and headed for the office to find a map of the town. He wanted to see if there was a bookstore near by so he could pick up a couple of magazines or book to read on the remainder of the trip and he wanted to get something to eat.

He looked at the map and started walking away from the train station while keeping track of the streets and any landmarks to help him find his way back. He turned down several more streets before heading down what looked like a short cut through an alley. Partway down a shabby dressed man stepped out from behind a dumpster and stared for a moment before walking his way. From his looks, Sam guessed he was homeless and tightened his grip on his bag and kept on walking.

"Gimma that bag." he ordered trying to grab the straps and pull it from his grasp.

"No! Stop!" Sam yelled at him trying to back away without losing his balance. 

"Let me have it!" the homeless man hissed.

"Help!" Sam screamed kicking the guy in the shin. 

"You little bastard!" he cried slapping at Sam and knocking him down.

Before Sam could get up, the homeless man was suddenly jerked backwards by his jacket collar and held in the air before being shaken hard and tossed into a pile of trash.

"Don't let me find you anywhere around here again, now get out of here." another much larger man growled at the guy causing him to stumble to his feet and flee. He turned to Sam and looked down at him. "You okay kid?"

"Yeah thanks." Sam said picking himself up and brushing off his jeans while eyeing the large man cautiously to be sure he wasn‘t going to attack him. He didn't act like he was a threat, but he wasn't sure.

"What are you doing out here by yourself anyway? The streets can be dangerous for one so young." he quizzed Sam.

"I was trying to find a bookstore to buy a couple of magazines or books to read. I've got a layover before I can catch my next train." 

"Do your parents know you're roaming the back allies?"

"No, I'm looking for my brother, we've been separated for a long time and I need to find him." 

The guy looked hard at Sam and frowned before questioning. "What's your brother's name?"

"It's Dean, he's about four years older than me." 

"I have someone you need to meet, she's not far come on and then I'll take you to the bookstore. Name's Preacher by the way." he said strolling down the alley.

Sam watched him start to walk away and stood there trying to decide if he should follow him or now. He didn't seem like a bad guy and he did save him from the homeless man, even though he looked homeless too. After a moment's hesitation, Sam started walking after him, but stayed slightly back out of arm's reach. He still checked his surroundings as Preacher lead him to a park and to a bench with an older woman sitting on it tossing some bread to the ducks that had waddled up from the lake. She looked up when Preacher stopped in front of her and then looked at the boy following along behind him who had stopped a short distance away.

"Who do we have here Preacher?" she asked looking the boy over carefully. "Another lost soul you saved?"

"He's looking for his brother, Dean." Preacher told her a knowing look in his eyes.

"Would your name happen to be Sam?" she asked Sam cocking her head to the side.

"Yes, how did you know? Have you seen my brother? Do you know where he is?" Sam quizzed quickly as excitement began to build in his voice.

"Slow down young one. My name's Aunt Fay and yes we knew your brother, he lived with our little family for over a year before moving on." she answered. "And I know he was looking for you too. He would check every playground or school yard or park searching each face."

"Do you know where he was going?"

"No I'm afraid he moved on about four years ago or so. You know fate must of brought you to this town and to us. I don't know how our paths could of cross otherwise. Your brother is a good boy, he was such a help to our family and we all miss him very much. I was hoping that some day he would come back by to say hello."

"I think I remember him telling me he was going to some town in Oklahoma, but that doesn't mean he's still there." Preacher told him.

"Are you homeless?" Sam questioned.

"Yes, I guess you could say that, but we built ourselves a home. There are eleven of us and we all live together and help each other out." 

"Thank you for taking care of my brother." Sam told her. "I better be going if I'm going to get to the bookstore and back to catch my train."

"You're most welcome young man. When you find your brother you tell him Aunt Fay and her family said hello." she smiled warmly taking his hands in hers and squeezing gently. "You take care of yourself young Sam and be careful out there."

"I will, good-bye ma'am nice to meet you."

“Call me Aunt Fay, everyone does, I hope you find Dean soon.”

“Alright Aunt Fay and me too.”

spn

"Come on Sam, the bookstore is over one street." Preacher said leading him away from Aunt Fay. "I'll be back once I get him to the station." he called over his shoulder to her.

"Thank you Preacher, I'll be right here." 

Sam and Preacher walked along in silence until Sam decided to ask him about Dean. He wanted to know more about his brother.

"Preacher what was my brother like?" 

"Well kid, he's a strong willed, determined, smart, kind hearted person. He would do any work asked of him and he pulled his own weight in the family. You had to earn his trust though, he didn't give it easily. He had his demons to deal with, but was not one to talk about them. Everyone was sad when he left, especially Ollie and Ally. Dean would read to them in the evenings or play games with them. He always found time for them and they loved him for it."

"He sounds like a good person. I hope he remembers me." Sam said hopefully.

"I don't think you have to worry about that, he never forgot you. He said one day he would find you. Okay here's the store. I'll wait out here until you're done and we'll head for the station. When does your train leave?"

Sam looked at his watch before answering. "I have two hours. I won't be long and I thought I'd get something quick to eat."

"There's a couple of decent food places on the way back. Go on now so you won't miss your train."

Sam hurried inside and was back out in twenty minutes. They walked down the street and Preacher pointed out two places for him to grab sandwiches to go that were good. Sam offered to buy him a sandwich but he declined telling him dinner would be waiting for him. He did allow Sam to buy him an iced tea and sipped it as they continued on to the station. With Preacher guiding them, they got there with thirty-five minutes to spare. He wouldn't leave the boy until his train arrived and he was safely on it. With a final goodbye, Sam got on the train and found a seat.

Even though Preacher told him Dean might be in Oklahoma, he still had this need to go to Lawrence first. Something was drawing him there but he didn't know what it was. Sam looked around him at the others on the bus when an eerie feeling that he was being watched coursed through him. No one seemed to be paying any attention to him, but he couldn’t see the angel sitting nearby keeping a watchful eye on him. He shook off his uneasiness and pulled out a book he bought and began to read.

spn

Dean walked the junkyard with a strange feeling of uneasiness. He was looking for a junker to get a spare part off of but couldn't concentrate on the search. Something was bugging him but he couldn't figure out what it was. He finally gave up his search and wandered back to the house since it was nearing lunchtime.

"There you are, I was beginnin’ to wander if ya got lost out there." 

"Sorry Bobby, my mind was elsewhere." 

"Sit down and eat, I think I found us a case." Bobby told him pushing some papers across the table. 

Dean pulled the plate closer to him and picked up half a sandwich and took a bite before scanning the papers. He read through it once and then re-read it again before looking up at Bobby with a hint of trepidation in his eyes. 

"What's the matter son?" 

“Nothing.” he mumbled looking quickly down at his sandwich not sure he could talk about Lawrence, Kansas yet. He had told himself that he would never go back there with all the bad memories that it dredged up but something was telling him that was going to change. 

“Don’t give me that bull crap Dean, I know something's bothering ya. You don’t have to come if ya don’t want to. I can handle it.” 

“No, remember your rules, you should have backup. I think I’ll go finish up some school work before we have to go. Let me know when you want to leave.” he replied getting up from the table and shuffling off to the living room to get his laptop and head upstairs.

“First thing in the morning.” Bobby answered watching him slowly walk up the stairs. Bobby thought about the reaction he got from Dean when he read the article. He knew it couldn’t be because of the hunt so the only thing he could think it would be was the location. He picked up the article again and studied it reading the town’s name, Lawrence, Kansas. He knew someone there and wondered if she might know anything about what they were hunting. He decided to go see her and see if she had gotten any bad vibes lately. If anyone knew about what was going on it was her. He wondered what her take on the boy would be. She was good at reading people and maybe she could shed some insight about Dean that would help him get through to him.

spn

With his laptop balanced in his lap, Dean worked on the last of the school work so he would be ready to leave in the morning. He only needed a few more credits and he could graduate early from high school. He adjusted his pillow and leaned back against the headboard letting his eyes close. His breathing evened out as he started to doze. 

The angel appeared by Dean’s bed and watched him doze in a light sleep. 

“Don’t be afraid, you need to go to Lawrence Dean. You will find what you’ve been looking for and it will help you heal and become whole again.” he whispered to Dean invading his subconscious with the thought.

Dean turned his head and mumbled something in his sleep as if he was fighting against the thought. He jerked awake and looked around for that voice that was there just moments ago. He frowned as he thought about Lawrence and he could almost feel something drawing him back there. With a sigh, he put away the laptop and decided to get ready for bed early. He knew Bobby liked getting an early start when they had a hunt to go on. He headed for the bathroom to do his nightly routine and change clothes hoping that sleep would not elude him and the nightmares would stay at bay. The angel watched him crawl into bed and settle down letting sleep slowly overtake him. 

“Sleep well young one.” the angel whispered before with a soft flutter of wings disappeared into the darkness.

A/N: So both brothers are on their way to Lawrence. They will be meeting soon. Thank you to all who are taking this journey with me and thank you to any who have left me comments. Your continued support has helped me to keep this story going. Please comment if you have a moment.  
NC


	31. Chapter 31

Dean was driving the Impala with Bobby in the passenger seat heading for Lawrence, his birthplace. A silence filled the car except for the music that came from the radio. Bobby glanced at the young man and could see the tension in his body as he gripped the steering wheel tightly with one hand. They had been on the road for nearly three hours and were about halfway there. Dean had only spoke a hand full of words since they had left the salvage yard. He didn't try to force information from him for fear of him shutting down completely. 

"How 'bout stopping up ahead, need to stretch my legs and take a leak." Bobby asked quietly.

"Alright." he replied dully glancing for exit signs up ahead. He knew he was being a jackass about this, Bobby had been nothing but good to him and he knew he could trust him, but he just couldn’t bring himself to tell him. He didn’t want to see the disappointment and pity in the older hunter’s eyes if he told him what happened to him and how he let so many people down. Without another word, he took the next exit and guided the Impala into a convenience store parking lot, stopping at the gas pumps. Bobby got out while Dean filled his Baby.

spn

There were only two other customers in the store as Dean wandered in looking for the restrooms. He saw the sign in the back corner and made his way down an aisle spotting Bobby over by the food getting a large coffee. He went on toward the restroom first to do his business and then he’d grab a drink and something to munch on. He knew once they got to Lawrence Bobby would get a motel room and they would investigate the disappearances. They usually split up a case since he still didn’t look old enough to be an FBI agent yet. Bobby would do the interviewing and Dean would check out the crime scenes and see what he could learn from the locals. Dean had a way of getting people to open up to him without it seeming obvious about it.

After paying for his drink and snacks, Dean strolled back outside to see Bobby waiting in the car for him. He climbed into the driver’s seat and started his Baby to get back on the road. He munched on a beef stick and sipped a water as the car ate up the miles toward Lawrence. 

spn

Sam stepped off the train and looked around before heading for the depot to find a map so he could find the two addresses he wanted to visit. He purchased a useable map and started walking toward what looked like the business district to find a place to eat. Sam had already booked a room for a few days at a small motel in town and paid for it online. He hoped to bluff the front desk person with a tale of his father not feeling good and sent him in to check in and to get the key for the room. The town wasn’t that big which was good for him in his search. He noticed several bus stops and was going to check the schedule online when he got to the motel. 

So far, things were going as planned and he still couldn’t get over meeting Preacher and Aunt Fay and finding that they knew Dean. He trudged down the street and spotted several fast food places to choose from. Sam picked the one he knew had good salads and went in to order. He was lucky the lunch rush had come and gone and had his choice of seating. Sam chose a booth in a corner out of the way and settled in to eat and find how far he was from the motel. He munched on his salad while studying the map and occasionally looking up to see if anyone was paying attention to him. He knew he needed to be invisible to the people around him so no one questioned him being by himself. Sam had come this far and he didn’t want to be stopped from finding any information about his brother. He was sure his adopted parents had contacted the police even thought he asked them not to. He was smart enough to hide his trail when he bought the train tickets and booked the motel room. 

spn

Dean fidgeted in his seat when he saw the sign that said Lawrence was three miles away. He wiped his sweaty hands one at a time on his jeans and tried not to clutch the steering wheel so tightly. If Bobby noticed his reactions, he wasn’t saying anything which was fine with him.

“I wanna go visit someone ‘fore we get a motel room.” Bobby told him as the got closer to the town.

“Alright, just give me directions.” he responded wondering who he knew in town. He followed the directions and pulled to the side of the street across from a familiar house. He had not seen this house in nearly twelve years and had no intentions of going inside. 

“You coming?” Bobby asked him as he got out.

“No, I’ll wait here for you, no need both of us goin' in.” he lied not wanting Bobby to see how nervous he really was.

“Suit yerself, I shouldn’t be long.” he replied walking across the street to the house. As Bobby walked up the sidewalk, the front door opened and a short, coca colored woman stood in the doorway to greet him. 

“Bobby Singer, as I live and breathe, what brings you down this way?” Missouri asked in a soft friendly voice. “Don’t tell me, it’s a hunt and you're wondering if I know anything.”

“Afraid so old gal, you got it right. I knew if anyone could sense something that was off, it'd be you.” he answered accepting a hug from the woman.

“I see you’re not alone.” she said eyeing the boy sitting in the black car across the street. She squinted her eyes and frowned. “Come on in and tell me what you know. I got a fresh baked coffee cake just askin' to be sliced.”

“Thanks.” he said stepping into the house. 

Missouri closed the door behind him but not before casting Dean one more serious look. She could feel the tension rolling off him in waves and wondered why he didn't come in with Bobby.

spn

Dean sunk down in the driver’s seat when he saw the familiar figure of the woman from his past. He wasn’t sure what his father came to her about, but she had made him uncomfortable then and still did now. It was like she was looking deep down into the very pits of his soul and seeing the darkness that was there. He wasn’t sure how Bobby knew this woman but hoped she didn’t come out to the car when they were done. He watched them disappear into the house but not before she looked back at him making him slip lower. He sighed with relief when the door closed leaving him alone with his thoughts. 

spn

“Bobby the boy in the car, how do you know him?” Missouri asked as she led him to the kitchen for coffee.

“A kid I took in a few years back. Smart ass read my journal after I showed up at a friend's bar hurt. Decided he wanted to be a hunter and wern’t takin’ no for an answer. Couldn’t let him go out there and get his fool self killed, so I took him in and been training him. I wouldn't tell him this, but he's becoming a formable hunter.” 

“That boy, he’s had some bad things happen to him in his life. Has he talked to you?”

“No, all I know is his Dad disappeared and I saw the scars on his back, but he doesn’t know that. That kid won’t let anyone too close. It's like he doesn't want to be labeled weak or let you think he can't take care of himself.” 

“Be patient with him, he needs to know you care about him. He’s not one to let others see his hurt and pain, he's just like his Daddy was, closed off not wanting others to see his true emotions.”

“Wait, you knew his Pa?” Bobby asked surprised by the news.

“Yes, didn’t you know, the boy is from here. His Momma was killed in the youngest boy’s bedroom and it wasn’t any electrical short either. There was pure evil in that house that night and it took his Momma. That boy’s seen way more than any child his age should. His Daddy came to me a couple of times to find out the truth and I told him what was out there in the night. He took it hard, was all about getting revenge for his wife's death. Those two boys so young to have lost their Momma like that. I’ve been keeping an eye on the house ever since. What happened there left a rift for anything supernatural to come through. People have not stayed there long before moving out.” she continued as she cut cake for them. “Where’s the other boy?”

“That does explain quiet a bit about Dean. He hasn't mentioned having a brother to me. His Dad came by and saw me too and I gave him some information. Didn't see him again. Then a couple of other hunters showed up with his car, told me he would be by to pick it up but he never came back for it. Dean found it in one of my storage sheds. Guess he figures his Dad's gone too. That boy has had so much loss I don't know how much more he can take."

"Don't you take that boy for granted; he's a lot stronger than you think. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one's aurora shine so bright as that boy’s does. Give him a little more time, I think he'll open up to you." she assured him.

"Now have you sensed anything about the disappearances happening here?”

Missouri sat two cups of coffee and several slices of coffee cake on the table and sat down beside him before answering.

“There is a disturbance out there; I’ve felt it when I’ve been out. It seems to be centered more at the old orphanage on the other side of town. It's hard to describe, but its nothing good I can tell ya that.”

“Kind of what I was thinkin’ it could be, vengeful spirit or a pissed off one.”

“Before the place closed down there was talk goin’ round about bad things happening at it. Wasn’t nothing ever proved before it was finally shut down but one of the staff was killed near the place.” 

“We’re gonna go check it out tomorrow. What's the address for the kid‘s home?” Bobby asked sipping his coffee and eating his cake. When the hunt was over, he would see if Dean wanted to go by and see it. He thought it might give him some closure.

spn

It was forty minutes before Bobby returned from the house and Dean shuffled the papers he was reading together and put them back in the folder. He was starting to get antsy, but there was no way he was going to see what was keeping the older hunter.

“Here, Missouri said to give these to you.” Bobby told him when he slipped back into the car. He handed Dean a brown paper bag and watched as he opened it to look inside. 

A look of surprise crossed Dean’s face when he saw the cookies nestled in bag. They were the same kind that she had sent out to him with his Dad. He looked over at Bobby noticing he was staring at him as if waiting for an explanation. Not wanting to go into the details, Dean tried to change the subject.

“Did you find out anything?” he asked sitting the bag between them.

“Maybe, let’s go get a room at the motel and I’ll fill ya in. There’s a diner across the street we can get dinner at.”

“Alright.” he said cranking up the Impala and pulling away from the house.

spn

Sam opened the door to his room and checked it out. It wasn’t as hard as he thought to get the front desk person to give him a key. After slipping his pack off, he tried to decide either to take a shower first or go across the street to the diner to get something to eat. After thinking about it, Sam got some money out and made sure he had the room key before heading back out and walking across the street. He went in and placed a to-go order and took a seat to wait for it. He glanced over the brochures by the door thinking over the plan he was putting together. When his name was called, Sam went to the cashier and paid for his food and headed for the door. He past by an older man in a baseball cap coming in as he was going out. The man mumbled a thank you when Sam held the door for him. Sam gave him a curious glance before heading back to the motel across the street. Neither brother realized how close they were, nor that their paths were going to cross in an unexpected way.

The traffic was light and Sam hurried across the street to the motel pausing to check out the shiny, black car that was parked above his room. He could tell it was old and well taken care of. He headed on down to the end room and let himself in as Dean came out of his room and went to the Impala to get something from the car. Dean glanced around the parking lot, a strange feeling coming over him but finally shook it off as stress from being back in Lawrence after all this time. If he could get away from Bobby for a bit, he was going to go by his old house just to see if it was still there. He hoped maybe to get a little closure after all this time. With one more look around, he strolled back to the room to wait on Bobby and the takeout from the diner. As fate would have it, this was not the time for their reunion.

A/N: So close but not yet. The meeting will be coming up soon. Hope you enjoyed the read. Thanks for all the hits it is amazing. You know what to do, love to hear from you. NC


	32. Chapter 32

The fire was licking the walls and smoke was burning his eyes and throat as he tried to breathe around it. He tried to see through the dark grey, blinding smoke when a bundle was thrust into his arms and he was pushed away. Dean tried to call out but couldn't get any words to pass his lips as he pulled more smoke into his lungs coughing hard.

"Dean, son wake up." an older voice grumbled to him and a slap to his leg brought him out of the dream.

Dean sat up quickly and looked around trying to get his lungs working again and air into them. He wheezed and gasped for air as he saw Bobby standing in front of him. 

"You okay Dean?" he asked softly handing him a bottle of water.

Dean accepted the bottle and swallowed several mouth fulls before trying to answer him.

"I'm fine." he croaked out as his heart began to slow and his breathing became easier. He sat there for a couple more minutes before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and sitting up.

"Wanna talk 'bout it son?" Bobby asked hoping he could get the boy to open up to him.

Dean sat there for a moment before he finally spoke to the older man. "I was born here." he started. "When I was four there was a fire...It killed my Mom. Then my Dad...He left us with friends but never came back and we became wards of the state. I was at that orphanage for a while." 

"Sorry to hear 'bout your Ma, son, if you want to set this out I'll understand." Bobby told him deciding not to question the 'we' Dean spoke about, just glad the boy was talking to him.

"No, I'm good. What are we doing?" Dean asked shaking his body slightly to rid him of the last vestiges of the dream and readying himself for other memories to be dredged up.

"Thought we'd go check out the old orphanage first, see if anything jumps out at us." Bobby told him. "Then I'll go see if I can find out any more about the place from the cops and see about those rumors."

Dean gave him a funny look at the choosing of his words trying to see if he was trying to make a joke. When Bobby didn't say anything else, he answered. "Yes sir." he said getting up and picking up his clothes before heading to the bathroom. He came out a few minutes later dressed and ready to head out.

"Let's grab a bite at the diner first, work better with a full stomach. The food wasn't half back last night."

"Are we driving or walking?"

"Let's drive and leave from there."

They settled into the Impala and Dean drove them across the street to the diner. Neither noticed the boy at the end of the row of rooms come out and start walking toward the bus stop just below the motel. Sam glanced up the parking lot seeing the car was gone now and wondered why it intrigued him and wondered who it belonged to. He shrugged his shoulders and sat on the bench waiting for the bus to come. He studied the map again to be sure he knew where to go. From the address in the papers, he knew where his real home was and wanted to see it.

spn

Dean slowly got out of the car letting the memories of the place wash over him. He stood gripping the car door and just stared at the familiar building so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t hear Bobby talking to him. 

“Dean...Dean...Son, you okay?” Bobby asked coming round the car to lay a hand on his shoulder.

Dean shook himself quickly and moved to shut the door stepping away from Bobby and his touch. He stiffened his shoulders and walked toward the abandoned building without speaking. Bobby frowned at his actions but didn’t question him, instead he pushed off the car and followed him. He found Dean standing at the front door looking at the chains that kept the door closed. After a moment, he pulled out his lock pick kit and went to work picking the lock holding the chains in place.

“Need some help there?” Bobby asked watching he struggle with the lock trying not to smirk. He had been teaching Dean about breaking into places and picking locks, evidently he still needed a little training.

“No, I got this.” he growled madly trying again to finally hear the lock click open. He pulled it loose and removed the chains allowing them access to the building smiling up at Bobby with his success. 

Bobby pushed the door opened slowly, a high squeal echoing through the foyer of the place. Dean cringed with the noise as it fell upon his ears in an eerie, cold way. He hesitated, looking at the gaping opening before finding the courage inside of him to step through the door. He couldn’t keep the old memories of the first time he had stepped through those doors from invading his mind. The image of his baby brother in a carrier brought tears to his eyes that he blinked quickly away before Bobby saw them. 

spn

Sam stood in front of the house where he lived before the fire and stared at it, concentrating hard but knowing he was too young to have any memories of the place. He opened his mind up more and suddenly was hit by an image of a boy and a baby in a carrier being taken into a building. He gripped the sign post to keep from falling over as the dizziness made the world around him spin for a few minutes. As suddenly as it appeared, it was gone leaving Sam a bit disoriented. He looked around to be sure no one noticed him and walked across the street to the house. There was a For Sale sign in the yard and the house looked deserted. He walked up on the front porch and stood looking at the door before moving to a window to look inside. He saw empty rooms spread out before him but nothing else. He stepped back and went to the door trying the knob already knowing it was locked before he tried it. Sam walked back down the sidewalk and took one last look at the house zeroing in on the second floor windows. He knew from the newspaper article, that was where the fire had started and where his Mom had died and it was also his bedroom. He wiped his eyes and looked again thinking a shadow moved by the window but didn’t see anything. Deciding it was nothing but the way the sun hit the window, he started walking away from the house back toward a bus stop about a mile away. He didn't really have any feelings about the house since he was too young to remember living here. But something caused him to pause on the sidewalk and look back at the door and slowly pan his eyes down the sidewalk to the street as a flitting image raced through his mind. It was one he couldn't really understand so he stored it to contemplate later.

spn

Dean followed slowly behind Bobby, every sense on high alert as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He looked behind him expecting to see someone but saw nothing. Turning back, he saw Bobby heading for the rooms marked administration. He wasn’t sure what had happened here after he left, but it was something bad that he was sure of. 

“Bobby?” Dean called quieter than he meant as he stepped through the door searching for the older hunter.

“Over here son.” he answered looking up to see Dean standing in the doorway.

“Do you feel it?” he asked.

“Feel what Dean?” he asked looking around them and not seeing anything.

“Do you think there are spirits here?”

Bobby looked around again before answering, “This place was a mental institution before it was converted to an orphanage, so yeah, I’m sure there are spirits lingering here. There had to have been patient deaths and who's to say if they all moved on. Why, what do you feel?”

“Don’t know, but something is setting off my spidery senses. So what are we looking for?”

“From what Missouri told me, rumors were floating around that some bad things were happening to the remaining kids before they were moved. Seems a couple of the staff sold them for sex.” 

Dean’s whole demur changed when he heard what Bobby said. He let the darkness flow free, unhindered as his eyes flashed with fury and his hands balled into fists. 

“One of them died in a shoot out with the cops not far from here and the other is rotting in a jail cell somewhere down south.”

“So you think it's the spirit of the dead one doing this?”

“Seems to point to it.” 

“So we’re visiting a graveyard tonight I take it?”

“Looks like it.” he said pulling out several personnel files. “Let’s go, I want to stop by and get the police report on that shooting.”

“Give me a minute.” Dean said walking over to more filing cabinets and popped the lock off and opened one of the drawers to look at what was inside. He moved down and continued his search until he found the one he was looking for. Dean thumbed through the files until a familiar name caught his eye. Bobby watched with interest as he jerked the file out and took all the papers inside and stuffed them in his inside jacket pocket. “I’m ready.” he told Bobby closing the cabinet and heading back out not giving the older hunter any explanation regarding his actions.

Not sure what just happened, Bobby followed the young man out of the building. Dean replaced the chain and lock before heading to the car. He was glad Bobby didn’t ask about the papers as he pulled away and headed for the police station. He was going to drop Bobby off and drive by his old house. Something told him he needed to see it to be able to move on.

spn

The bus pulled up to the stop and the brakes hissed as the driver shut it down. He opened the door and allowed the passengers to disembark. Sam waited his turn and stepped from the bus deciding he needed to eat before heading to his second destination. He looked up and down the street and spotted several places offering food. He picked a place that offered a more healthy menu and headed for it. It was just before the lunch rush so the place wasn’t too busy and Sam got his food quickly. He found a booth in the corner and settled in to enjoy his food and check his map to the bus schedule so he knew how close he could get to the shutdown orphanage. It looked like he could get within about three miles of the place and then he’d have to hoof it the rest of the way. That wouldn’t be a problem since he usually ran four miles a day if he wasn’t training for the track team.

Sam took a break to look around the place and out the window at the surroundings wondering what it was like when his Mom and Dad lived here. He watched the people walking by and wondered if any of them knew his family. His mind drifted to thoughts of what it could of been like with his family and his older brother. He knew from the article he had found about the fire, he was six months old when it happened. What he didn’t know was what happened after that and how he ended up with the Masters. What had happened to his father and older brother? Were they together now? Did his father decide it was too much for him to have a six month old baby to take care of and gave him up? Did they not have any family to help? Why hadn’t they tried to contact him now that he was older? So many unanswered questions made his head start to hurt. He rubbed his temples and decided to finish his meal so he could catch the next bus to the other side of town.

spn

Dean sat behind the wheel of the Impala across from the home he was raised in until the fire. He looked it over carefully remembering the last time he had seen it and his eyes were drawn to the second story windows that were his little brother’s bedroom. He remembered smoke billowing from it as streams of water beat back the fire. He remembered all the fireman and strangers walking around and clinging to his Dad as his overloaded mind shut down. Old, lost memories surfaced and Dean found it hard to breathe as he gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. He closed his eyes and fought off the spinning sensation and the blackness that threatened to drag him under. He swallowed hard and sucked in a raspy mouth of air before he passed out. After several more deep breathes, Dean opened his eyes to see if the world was standing still or still spinning. He looked back to the empty house and saw a flicker of something in the second story window but before he could focus more fully on it, it was gone. He jerked when his cell started ringing bringing him out of his daze and the shadow in the window forgotten. Dean flipped it open and answered it, figuring it was Bobby and he was ready to be picked up.


	33. Chapter 33

A/N: Good news your wait is over, this is the chapter you have been waiting for, yes the brothers finally meet. May not be what you expected but I hope you enjoy the read. Thank you to all who have been so loyal with your support. I do appreciate each and every one of you. I hope you will leave me a comment about what you think of the chapter. NC

 

 

The Impala rolled to a stop in front of the police station where Bobby was waiting for Dean. Once the car had stopped, he got in and glanced at the young man. Bobby could tell he seemed upset over something but didn't question him.

"Find anything?" 

"Yep, seems the staff in question was killed not far from the orphanage and he's buried a few miles away in that cemetery we passed on the way over there.”

“Should we go find the grave to make it easier tonight?”

“Might as well, we’ve got time to kill before it gets dark enough to do the job.”

Dean pulled from the curb and made his way back across town to the cemetery. He pulled through the gates and slowly made his way around the path until he was out of sight of the road. Dean pulled to the side and they got out to begin their search for the grave. Bobby went one way and Dean strolled off in the other direction checking markers for the bastard who had been killed by the cops. He couldn’t wait to torch his bones and be rid of the scumbag. Bobby whistled getting his attention and Dean headed his way.

“Found it.” Bobby told him standing in front of a small grave marker. He looked around the area getting reference points so they could easily find it tonight when they came back to dig the grave up. 

“Okay, guess we can go grab an early dinner and maybe you might want a nap ‘fore we head back out here since you’re getting along in years and all.” Dean smirked.

“And I can still put ya on yer ass so don’t forget it boy.” Bobby growled at him before slapping him on back of the head and walking away. 

“Owe, was that necessary?” he complained following along after him.

“You tell me jackass.”

“Oh-oh testy aren’t we.” Dean snickered getting in the car and starting it up. He pulled back onto the path and drove on around through the gate heading back to town and the motel. Neither hunter paid any attention as they passed a bus waiting at a bus stop for passengers to board. Nor did they see the shaggy haired boy getting on and taking a seat in time to see the black car pass by. He didn’t look up in time to see the driver of the car before it was gone out of sight. Sam wondered what the car was doing out this way and shrugged to himself as it being a coincidence. 

spn

The bus slowed to a stop at its last stop before heading back on its route to town. Sam was the only person that got off at this stop and he waited for it to leave before looking both ways and crossing the street and heading in the direction of the orphanage. When he came to a straight stretch, Sam began to jog down the road toward his destination. There were only a few cars that passed him as he got closer to the place. Sam turned onto the driveway and began to walk toward the two story building taking in the boarded up windows and neglected look of the place. Cold chills ran down his spine making him falter in his steps the closer he got the place. He stopped at the bottom of the steps and eyed the chained doors knowing he wasn’t getting in that way. Sam began to walk around the building checking out each window and any other doors he found looking for a way inside.

He had almost given up when a broken window caught his eye. He walked closer to check it out and saw if he broke the rest of it out, he could get inside to a room in the basement. Being careful not to cut himself, Sam took a piece of metal pipe and knocked the remainder of the glass out so he could crawl through the opening. He looked around the room at stacked boxes, old furniture and dusty, out of date equipment. He pulled his pack off and rummaged around until his fingers found the flashlight glad he had thought to bring it. He flipped it on and let the beam scan the room before finding the door back in the far corner. Sam tried to judge where the front of the building was compared to where he was at and began to make his way through the basement looking for the stairs going up. The outside light was barely filtering through the dirt caked windows as he slowly moved through the place listening to the creepy squeaks, groans and strange shuffling noises. He jerked around several times thinking there was something behind him only to see nothing. All his senses were on high alert and he was sure there was something in this place with him. 

spn

When Sam made it to the first floor, he headed toward the front of the building looking for offices or medical records. He was going to search every file he could to find out what happened to his brother. He hoped he had been adopted into a nice family too and he could find an address to contact him. He hurried down the hall and stopped at the door marked administration and let his light shine into the dark corners of the room. He finally saw a room with a sign for records toward the back of the large office and made his way toward it.

Sam stepped into the room and saw a row of filing cabinets lining one wall and several others against another one. He noticed most of them had the locks broke off and the metal bar removed allowing access to the charts inside. Taking a deep breath, Sam started with the first unlocked cabinet and the bottom drawer to start looking for anything labeled Winchester. He slowly moved on the next drawer checking the names before continuing his search. After the first cabinet was searched, he moved to the next rubbing his eyes because of the strain of trying to see the faded labels before continuing.

By the time he was on the fifth cabinet, Sam was starting to sneeze and wheeze from the dust he was stirring up. He stopped long enough to drink some water and let his eyes rest before starting again. Sam wasn’t keeping track of time and didn’t notice that the sun was sinking lower in the sky and the day was being over run by the night. He stopped and stared at the lock on the next cabinet contemplating how to get it off to look inside. He looked around the room and finally picked up one of the locking bars to try and pry the lock loose. His fist attempt had him stumbling back when the bar slipped and he squared his shoulders and tried again. When he put all his weight on the bar it popped off allowing him access to the files. In the third drawer he hit pay dirt and pulled a folder out with Winchester, D on it. Not bothering to look at the contents, Sam stuffed the file into his backpack and gratefully headed back to the basement to get out of there. He couldn’t see the orbs that floated around him as he found his way back to the stairs. With one final look down the hall, he made his way down the steps and to the storage room and the broken window. He moved a chair over under the window and used it to boost himself out it, feeling relief to be out of there.

spn

“Crap.” he hissed seeing that night was almost upon him and also realizing he had missed the last bus back to the other side of town and his motel. Fussing at himself for not noticing the time, he pulled his map out and used the flashlight to determine his best route back. He saw if he cut through the cemetery down the road it would cut nearly two miles off his trek back. With a sigh, he set off down the driveway to the road and started jogging toward the cemetery. 

It didn’t take him long before he stood at the gate leading into the cemetery. Sam stood there looking into the shadowy graveyard trying to decide if he wanted to go through there. The moon was a few days from being full and its light cast long shadows across the field of tome stones. Sam was never one to be scared of the night or the things in it, but he had an uneasy feeling about invading the resting place of all these dead people. Shaking off the eerie feelings he had, he made his way into the cemetery following the road a short distance before cutting through the middle of the graveyard.

spn

Sam hadn't walked far when he saw the moon reflect off something down on the road. He walked closer and saw a car parked below him and was sure it was the same car from the motel. He looked around trying to see the owner but didn't see anything in the shadows. He stood perfectly still and let his senses guide him. He heard the quiet whispers off to the right of him standout from the other noises around him. Knowing the direction which to go now, he hitched his pack onto his shoulders and headed in that direction. He started to crest the hill and heard the voices grow closer. He slipped from tome stone to tome stone staying in the shadows as much as he could. Sam stopped by a marker and paused to listen to the conservation coming from two people.

"Keep your eyes peeled for that spirit Dean, you know he's not gonna be happy when he realizes what we're doin'." Bobby told Dean as they continued to shovel dirt from the grave.

"Got the sawed off loaded with rock salt right here and ready." Dean told him glancing around every couple of shovels full. He had a feeling he was being watched but couldn't quite tell where it was coming from. 

Bobby hit the coffin first and began brushing the dirt away as Dean got the last of his dirt off. Bobby pulled himself out and handed Dean a crowbar to pry the lid off. Once it was open, Dean jumped out and started pouring salt over the bones while Bobby poured gas over them.

"Dean got a lighter?"

"You know I do."

Sam tried to comprehend what they were talking about spirits and rock salt, but what caught his attention was the older man had called the guy Dean. Before he could think on it further, the older of the two was thrown through the air landing hard against a stone marker. Dean tried to get his lighter lit and tossed into the grave but was stopped by the spirit. Sam heard his brother’s name called again and started in shock at some being grabbing Dean by the throat and pinning him to a tall marker. Dean struggled and beat at the being trying to get loose. Without thinking, only knowing his brother was in trouble, Sam charged the being picking up a shovel along the way. He swung the shovel over his shoulder and ran at the spirit.

"Dean!" Sam yelled getting ready to swing but was tossed backwards by a wave of the spirit's hand. He flew through the air until a grave stone stopped him knocking the wind out of him. 

Bobby came to enough to see a young boy running at Dean with a shovel raised ready to strike. He heard the boy call out Dean's name before he was tossed backwards. He watched Dean fall to the ground in a heap gasping for breath as the spirit disappeared to reappear in front of the boy. The spirit pick the boy's body up and partly lay him over a tome stone so he could run a hand over his body and grope him. 

"Fresh meat and so young." the spirit said in a hungry, threatening tone. He kept one hand clenched around Sam's throat to hold him in place.

Sam tried to fight against the spirit hitting him with his hands, but wasn't strong enough. He could feel a cold, rough hand moving under his shirt as it worked its way down toward the waist of his jeans and he tried to squeak out a protest. His struggling was getting weaker as his lack of oxygen caused him to almost pass out.

"Burn in hell you sorry sonovabitch." Dean growled dropping his lit lighter into the grave setting the bones on fire. 

Sam watched in wide eyed shock as the spirit began to burn a deep red as his physical body was being destroyed by the flames. He could feel the heat of the flames as they raced up the man's body. The spirit screamed madly and threw Sam hard toward a stone marker as his body burned away leaving only ash. Sam cried out in pain as his arm took the brunt of the throw and his world went black when he head impacted with the stone.

"Dean you okay?" Bobby asked as he slowly got to his feet checking his body for injury.

"Yeah..." Dean wheezed and coughed trying to swallow with his bruised throat. 

"Where'd that kid come from?" Bobby asked as he walked over to the limp body of Sam and carefully rolled him over to his back.

Dean sucked in a quick breathe when Bobby shone the light onto his face. He had seen this face only in his dreams, but there was no doubt that this was Sammy, his brother. Dean felt sick knowing that bastard had tried to assault him. His emotions were all over the place and questions were racing through his head trying to figure out how he could of gotten here. He wanted to gather him up and never let him go, but Dean was scared, scared that he was going to blink and Sam would be gone. There was so much coursing through his mind that he couldn't comprehend what was laying in front of him.

Bobby slowly began to check the boy over finding a good size knot on his head and he was pretty sure his left arm was broken above the wrist. He continued to feel on down his body for other injuries but didn't find any other than bruising from colliding with the stone markers. He felt something in one of his jacket pockets and pulled a key out looking at it.

"The kid's staying at the same motel as us." he commented in surprise. “What the hell would he be doing out here in the middle of the night alone?”

"Bobby gather the things up and take them to the car. There's a blanket in the back seat we can use to carry him." Dean told him. "I'll start filling in the grave." he continued picking up the shovel with a shaky hand. 

Bobby saw him too, so that meant he was really here, Dean thought as he tried to slow down his racing heart. Was this truly his Sammy or just some lost kid that looked like his brother, Dean wondered trying hard to keep his world from crashing down around him? The boy needed medical attention first and then the sorting out of this mess would have to come second. He was trying to not get his hopes up until he knew for sure that this definitely was his little brother.

"Okay son." Bobby said eyeing Dean closely knowing something was off with him. He looked like he had seen a ghost and not the one they had just destroyed. Bobby started putting their things in a pack and headed back to the car moving his shoulder to be sure that it was only bruised.

spn

Dean worked hard shoveling the dirt back into the grave, grunting in pain as his ribs protested the abuse. He kept looking over at the body laying so still and not moving. Sam's face was covered by his too long hair and Dean couldn't see it in the moonlight. He startled as Bobby came back into view and picked up his shovel to help.

"You alright son?" he asked noticing Dean favoring his left side.

"I'm fine." he gritted out through clenched teeth as sweat dripped into his eyes from the strain and pain.

"Got a doctor friend in town that can set the kid's broken arm and check his head injury. He knows about hunters and treats the injuries we can't handle on our own." he told Dean as they finished filling the grave. "I'll call when we get him in the car." 

Dean grunted at Bobby but didn't say anything more. They moved over to Sam and Dean waited while Bobby spread the blanket and scooted his body onto it. Dean gathered the two lower ends while he got the top two and they carried him back to the car. Once he was settled in the back, Dean and Bobby got in the front. Bobby pulled his cell and dialed his doctor friend so they could meet him at his clinic. He knew the boy's arm would need x-rayed so it could be set properly. Even thought his head was pounding from his kiss with the tome stone, Bobby was starting to see the pieces fall into place. 

spn

"I've set his arm and put a cast on it. He shouldn't have any problems, it was a clean break and he's young." the doctor explained to Bobby as Dean stood off to the side. "I've given him something to keep him comfortable the rest of the night and here's something for pain if he needs them." he continued handing Bobby a bottle of pills. "He'll probably have a headache from the pump knot, but doesn't look like he has a concussion, but I would keep an eye on it anyway. That cast can come off in five to six weeks and you'll wanna keep it dry when he showers." he added handing a bag to him for that purpose.

"Thanks Doc, you have time to check out his ribs?" Bobby asked nodding to Dean who suddenly looked like a deer in headlights when both older men turned toward him.

"What? I'm fine." Dean complained taking the offense trying to back away.

"Don't try to con a con man, I know ya hurt your side so let him look." Bobby ordered in a tone that left no room for argument.

Dean grumbled some choice words under his breathe as he stepped closer to the doctor and lifted his shirt showing a very multicolored bruised side and stomach. The doctor pressed lightly on his side causing him to wince in pain and hiss and pull away.

"Good news is they're not broken, but badly bruised. You need to take it easy for a week or so to let them heal. Alternate heat and ice might help too." he recommended. "I can give you something for pain if you like."

"Naw I'm good, got aspirin."

"Use Aleve instead. It'll be better for you."

"Come on; let's get back to the motel." Bobby told him wheeling the gurney out to the car. They moved Sam to the back seat again before heading back to the motel. Bobby was waiting for Dean to talk to him but he had clamed up and didn't say a thing on the drive. He kept his eyes on the roads, his hands gripping the steering wheel way to tight and a concerned, scared expression on his face. He had a pretty good idea who the boy was, but was going to let Dean tell him instead of confronting him with his knowledge. He decided it was better to let the boy come to him of his own free will than try to pressure the information from him. The biggest mystery was how the boy ended up in Lawrence in the first place.


	34. Chapter 34

A/N: A as very special thanks to all my readers, the chapter you have waited for, they meet each other. This is one of my favorite chapters to write, I so love the brotherly bond. Thank you to all for your support and I love the comments, it makes me want to give you more. Please comment. NC

 

Bobby checked the boy as he slept on one of the beds in their motel room. Dean paced behind him keeping his mouth shut and fidgeting nervously. He would look over at the sleeping boy, stop for a moment before starting his pacing again. Finally tired of his mood and agitation, he turned to him with an errand. He thought trying to get his mind off whatever was bothering him for a minute would do him good.

"Why don't ya go get his things from his room and toss them in the car? I figure we'll leave first thing in the morning and head home." Bobby told Dean holding out the boy's key. 

"Okay." he grumbled grabbing his jacket.

"And maybe get us something to eat. The diner across the street is open 24 hours." 

"Sure." he agreed heading out the door. 

spn

Bobby shook his head wondering what was going on that he was in the dark about. He turned when a soft moan came from the bed and went over to sit beside him. The boy rolled his head slightly and squinted his eyes trying to see who was sitting on the bed. 

"Take it easy kid, ya got a good size lump on yer head." Bobby told him when his eyes focused on him. "Are ya in pain?"

Sam moved his arm and felt something funny and a little pain and then he realized he had a cast on it. He had a dull ache in his head and the light seemed to make it hurt worse. He closed his eyes and shielded them from the bedside lamp before opening them again.

"Here, let me get that." Bobby said seeing Sam's actions and turned the lamp off casting that side of the room into shadows much to Sam's relief. He focused on Bobby again and looked to the bed beside him.

"Where's..." he said in a raspy voice trying to wet his dry throat so he could talk. He winced with the soreness of his throat and coughed lightly.

"Here, sip a little water." Bobby offered holding a bottle with a straw to his lips. "Why don't ya take a pain pill and try to rest some more?"

Sam sipped the water and sighed as it wet his throat. He coughed softly and took another sip of the water letting the coolness ease the burn in his throat. He accepted the pill and washed it down with more water. He lay back on the bed still feeling exhausted. After a few minutes, Sam turned to the older man wanting to know what happened to his brother. He was afraid that he had been hurt or something.

"Where's Dean?" he asked looking over Bobby's shoulder at the rest of the room for his brother. 

"How do you know Dean?" 

"He's my brother." Sam answered. "Is he okay?" 

"He's running an errand." Bobby said looking the boy over carefully. So this was the missing brother Missouri told him about. He wondered how the boy got here and why Dean hadn't told him who he was. 

"When was the last time you saw Dean?"

"I was adopted when I was a year old." Sam mumbled as he tried to keep his eyes open. "Was n'ver told had bro'er." he slurred feeling the need to close his eyes. "Lo'kin' for him..." he trailed off not able to stay awake from the pain meds and sheer exhaustion and shock.

Bobby looked down at the sleeping boy and brushed his hair back from his face. He had more questions than answers and hoped Dean would fill in the blanks for him. So if Sam was adopted, he wondered what happened to Dean during all this time besides his stay with Hank. He moved to a chair at the table and waited for Dean to return.

spn

The door to the room opened and Dean stepped inside seeing Sam still asleep on the bed and Bobby sitting at the table. He strolled to the table and sat coffees and the bag of food on it. Dean pulled the other chair out and fell into it wincing as his ribs protested. 

"Got ya coffee and egg sandwich." he told him pushing the cup his way.

"You got something to tell me son?" Bobby asked slowly while fingering the cup as he glanced over at the sleeping boy and back at Dean. 

Dean looked at him and then over at the bed and his sleeping brother. He swallowed hard knowing Bobby deserved an answer to all this. He had been nothing but good to him since he came to live with him.

"The kid woke up for a few minutes, said he was yer brother." Bobby offered waiting to see what Dean would say and do. He watched Dean's body language change and could see him closing him out. "Don't shut me out Dean, haven't you been with me long enough to trust me yet?" he asked softly hoping to get through to him. "Talk to me please son." 

Dean captured his lower lip between his teeth and worried it before replying to him. He seemed to deflate as he let out a breath.

"Like I told you before, our Mom was killed when I was four and Sammy was six months old. Our Dad wanted to find out what killed her. He left us with friends and never came back. We were put in an orphanage, Sammy was adopted and I wasn't." Dean told him never once looking up at him. "I promised him I'd find him, but looks like he beat me to the punch." 

"What are you not telling me Dean? Why did you end up on the streets?"

"Things didn't work out for me, so I ran." he said still not willing to give up all the events of his prior life.

Bobby knew he wasn't telling him everything, but could tell he wasn't going to say anything else. He didn't want to press his luck and make Dean completely close him out so he let it go. He hoped Dean would tell him in his own time before it ate him up.

"Why don't ya try to get a little sleep, I'll watch the boy." Bobby told him ending the conservation. “You look like you’re gonna fall asleep just sitting there.”

"I can use the couch Bobby, you need to rest too and figured ya being older and all would need the bed." 

"I can still take you down a notch or two, so watch yer mouth." 

"Sure old man." Dean said heading for the bathroom as Bobby threw a wadded up piece of paper at him. He came back out and grabbed a pillow and blanket to make a bed on the couch pausing one more time to look over at his brother still reeling that he was in the same room with him.

Bobby sipped his coffee and munched on his sandwich knowing that Dean was throwing up his cheeky humor to cover his anxiety. He had figured the boy out a long time ago. He needed to do some talking to the boy, Sammy, and find out how he got here and if the ones who raised him knew where he was. He sure didn't want to be arrested or shot for kidnapping by some green horned rookie cop. Bobby made his way to the bed and turned off the lights before lying down on the empty bed. The room was quiet except for the soft snoring of the boy and the restlessness of the other one the couch. He wondered why Dean wasn’t happier at seeing his brother. Was there some unspoken resentment or anger brewing, waiting to explode? Bobby finally closed his eyes and let the creaking and settling of the building lull him to sleep.

spn

Dean curled up on the couch and tried to put the fact that his Sammy was in the same room with him and sleeping in his bed. He had no idea how he found him and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. He had been searching for so long that nearly all his hope had dwindled and shriveled into a small acorn stored away in the corner of his mind. He was not anything like the boy who was left alone in the orphanage nearly twelve years ago. So much had changed in him now and he wasn’t sure he knew how to be a brother anymore. Dean wondered what his reaction would be if he told him he had killed a man, an extremely bad man, but a man none the less. Would he be repulsed by him and want to go back to his life with his family? He squirmed around on the couch as an inkling of a headache started to make itself known behind his eyes. He was sore and his ribs were giving him a fit while he shuffled again trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. His heart and soul was weighted down by the stress and anxiety he was going through and he was finding it hard to control all the pent up emotions.

spn

A soft cough woke Bobby from a light sleep and he glanced at the two boys still sleeping. The youngest mumbled something in his sleep and rolled over settling deeper into the covers. Deciding he wasn’t getting anymore sleep, Bobby sat up and moved his sore body to see how bad it was. He shuffled to the kitchenette and started a pot of coffee. He sat down in a chair and casually looked around the room spotting the kid’s pack he had tossed in a corner when they had put him in bed last night. Bobby reached over and snagged a strap pulling it to him. He settled it on the table and noticed something sticking out where the zipper wasn’t completely closed. Looking again at the two boys to be sure they were still asleep, he unzipped it and pulled a file folder out. Frowning to himself, he laid it on the table and opened it up to the pages clipped inside.

spn

Bobby finished reading the last page of the chart and sat back in his chair before looking over at the boy he considered like a son to him. His vision blurred as tears wet his eyes and he swallowed hard trying to control his emotions. He knew the boy had been through some type of trauma, but didn’t know it had been that bad. He now knew where the scars on his back came from and that more than likely he had been sexually assaulted by another. He heard rustling from the couch and quickly closed the folder and stuffed it in his bag. There was no way he was going to let the kid read what happened to his brother. Now Bobby understood Dean’s obsession about not wanting to be touched and why he would shut down if asked about his past.

“Hey Bobby.” Dean whispered hoarsely clearing his throat and wincing in pain. 

“How ya feeling son?” Bobby asked quietly so not to disturb the younger Winchester who was still sleeping.

“I’m fine.” he replied pouring a cup of coffee and sipping the hot liquid. 

“You wanna head on home and sort this out there?” he asked him noticing Dean hadn’t once looked toward the bed or the sleeping boy. He could see confusion and concern on Dean’s face and knew the boy was torn about what to do. His journey on finding his brother had been a long one with its ups and downs and now it was over. He didn’t think Dean was handling it very well. 

“Dean?” a small voice asked from the bed. 

Both hunters turned toward the voice to see Sam sitting up in the bed looking their way. A look of hopefulness was plastered on his face as he looked from one to the other letting his gaze settle on Dean. 

“It’s you isn’t it?” he asked again a little louder. “The one in my dreams all these years.” he continued slipping to the edge of the bed and slowly standing up moaning slightly from the pain.

“You okay son?” Bobby asked Sam when he saw him totter as he stood up.

“I hurt.” Sam replied, his voice laced with pain.

“You can have another pain pill if you need it.” he told Sam fishing around in his jacket for the bottle.

Dean hadn’t been listening to the conservation since he was zeroed in on his little brother and everything else was tuned out. It felt like time stopped and nothing was moving but Sammy and him. He took a hesitate step toward Sam and looked him over trying his best to keep the tears from falling from his eyes. Something in his chest tightened painfully as that emptiness that he had been feeling since Sammy was taken seemed to be filling up and patching itself. His soul ached with joy and utter happiness and terror.

“Sammy?” Dean questioned trying to keep his voice from quivering. 

Dean and Sam looked at each other as they both took a step closer closing the gap that had been between them for so long. Before Dean could step closer, Sam launched himself at Dean and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist, clinging to him as tightly as he could. Dean grunted as his ribs protested the squeeze, but that didn’t stop him from returning the hug, to put his arms around his little brother again and hold him. It had been so long since he had felt his loving touch he wasn't sure what to say. Sam sobbed quietly into his chest as he felt his brother embrace his trembling body in his strong arms. Dean let the boy cry as his own tears slid down his cheeks and dripped into his brother’s hair. He was afraid to move for fear that Sammy would disappear and he would wake up and it be a dream. The boys just stood together holding each other tightly, each lost in their own flood of emotions. Dean could feel the rush of his brother’s essence trying to encircle his soul and dropped his wall to let him in feeling the sense of wholeness from his touch. No matter the inner demons Dean was fighting, he couldn't help but feel the love and strong bond for his brother that had never completely disappear in their time apart. He had dreamed of this moment since he was five, but he was still not prepared for it. The only noises in the room were the soft sobs from Sam and Dean’s whispers trying to comfort his brother.

"I never forgot ya little bro." he murmured brushing Sammy's hair from his face so he could see it. “I kept looking, I never gave up.”

"I didn't know." Sammy sobbed back the words mumbled by Dean's chest.

Bobby watched the reunion of the brothers and brushed the tears from him eyes seeing the raw emotions they each portrayed. He stayed quiet letting them have the time they needed. As Sam’s sobs quieted to hiccups, he stood from the table and moved to the bags.

“If you boys are ready, why don’t we head home?” he offered as Dean looked up over Sam’s head at Bobby nodding to him.

“Why don’t you take a pain pill and we’ll stop on the way out and grab some breakfast sandwiches.” Dean told Sam as he ran his hand through his hair pushing it from his face and cupping his wet cheeks for a moment smiling at him.

Sam sniffed and wiped his snotty nose on his sleeve before looking up into Dean’s face. “Okay.” he said giving him a dimpled smile that warmed Dean's heart and stepped back slightly but kept a firm hold of Dean’s shirt. “I have a room...”

“Already got ya covered bro; your things are in the car.” Dean told him as he tried to step toward his bag but was stopped by the tight hold Sam had on him. “It’s okay Sammy, I’m not goin’ to leave ya.” he said softly laying his hand on Sam’s and gently pulling his shirt loose so he could gather his things to leave. "Why don't ya go use the bathroom 'fore we go?"

"Okay." he said walking slowly toward it as he tried to keep his eyes locked on Dean. When he came out, Bobby offered him the pain meds.

“Here ya go Sam.” Bobby told him holding out a pill and bottle of water. “Why don’t ya sit on the bed and we’ll get our things packed.”

“Thank you sir.” Sam said accepting the items.

“Ya can drop the sir kid, it’s just Bobby.” he told him. “Makes me feel older than I am.”

“You are old, old man.” Dean commented with a snicker.

“Watch it jackass.” Bobby growled at him as he picked up his bags and waited for Dean to get his.

"He gets grumpy when he doesn't get enough sleep." Dean whispered to Sam but loud enough for Bobby to hear.

"Just remember who pulls yer ass out of the fire when you step into it." he shot back cuffing him lightly on the back of the head.

Sam stared at the two amazed at the close relationship they seemed to have. He got up and followed them when Dean motioned him to come. His mind was so overloaded with everything that had happened he wasn't sure how to slow it down. There was so much he wanted to know and tell Dean but decided it could wait until they got to where ever Bobby lived. Right now he didn't want to take his eyes off his brother; he was determined never to be separated from him again. He was still shocked that they had found each other in their home town; it was like someone had guided both of them there and pushed them together. On the back burner were questions on what had attacked them in the cemetery. He knew it wasn’t human, at least he didn’t think it was human for it to be able to move like it did. Those questions could wait until later; he just wanted to learn all he could about his brother.


	35. Chapter 35

Bobby looked over at Dean wondering why he hadn't started the car. He was staring out into the parking lot of the diner at nothing pursing his lips like he was trying to make a decision. He turned around and looked at Sam in the back seat who was staring back at him waiting for him to say something. 

"Sammy I think we need to go by our old house, you okay with that?" he asked before casting a glance at Bobby.

"I went by earlier." Sam told him. "I don't mind seeing it again." 

"Okay, after that we'll head out." he decided cranking his Baby and pulling from the lot to heading toward where they use to live.

spn

The house looked sad, alone and empty on the street as Dean slowed his car and pulled to the curb to park. He looked at the structure trying to feel some feelings for it, but it just didn't seem right. He knew there were many happy memories in there from his childhood, but they were all overshadowed by the death of their Mom. 

"Come on Sammy." he said getting out staring hard at the house.

"Want me to come son?" Bobby asked already knowing the answer before he asked.

"No, this is something we need to do own our own."

"I'll be here if you need me." 

Dean nodded and with Sam by his side walked across the street and up the sidewalk to the front door. He glanced around to be sure no one could see him and bent down to pick the lock. Sam saw what he was doing and quickly moved in front of him to shield anyone from seeing. Once the door was unlocked, they stepped inside closing the door behind them. They both stood still looking around before Dean's eyes went back to the stairs. Without saying anything, he headed for the stairs with Sam following close behind him not asking for any explanation. He seemed to know deep down that where they needed to go was on the second floor.

spn

The first room Dean paused at had been his bedroom. Sam looked around his body to get a brief glimpse of it before he moved further down the hall. There were three other doors left to check out. One could be seen as a bathroom and the other two had been bedrooms. Dean faltered in his step as he came abreast of the door that led to Sam’s bedroom. The odor of smoke suddenly filled Dean’s lungs and the air around them seemed to grow hot. He looked over at Sam and didn’t see any concern on his face so he knew he was the only one sensing the disturbance. 

“Are you okay?” Sam asked his brother seeming to know that something was wrong.

“I'm fine.” Dean answered shaking himself and squaring his shoulders to face one of his demons. He stood in the doorway for a moment before stepping into the room. Sam stepped in beside him and looked around checking it out. He was sure this was the bedroom where the fire started, so this must of been his bedroom. He never saw Dean glance up at the ceiling and shiver slightly when he thought of his mother pinned to the ceiling.

A creaking sounded from the closet caused both boys to look that way. Dean saw it first and felt the room temperature drop so much he could see his breath as he breathed out. A pale grey smoke began to form in the closet that continued to grow into the size of a person. Dean pushed Sam behind him and pulled a gun from the waistband of his jeans ready to defend them.

“Wait.” Sam said stepping back around Dean and staring hard at the form that was beginning to take shape. “Don’t you know her Dean?” he asked turning to his brother.

“Who Sam? Know who?” he asked blinking a few times and taking a closer look. “Mom?” Dean asked softly as their Mom stepped from the closet looking the same as she did the last time he saw her all those years ago.

“My precious boys.” Mary said gently and smiled at both of them. “Dean, you’ve grown into such a handsome man.” she said to him. “Sammy, my baby, I’m so sorry.”

“Mom why are you here?” Dean asked his voice catching as a wave of emotions washed over him. 

“I wanted to see both of you one more time.” she said brushing a finger across Dean’s cheek to wipe the tear that slipped down it. “I knew you two would find your way back here one day so I waited patiently.”

“Momma.” Sam cried as he tried to stop the sob that escaped his lips as he reached for her. 

“It’s okay Sammy, your brother will take care of you, he’ll keep you safe.” she told him brushing his long hair from his face. “I love both of you so much, but I have to go now.” she said stepping back as her body began to fade. “Good bye.” she whispered into both their ears one last time.

“Don’t go.” Dean begged reaching a hand out but threw it over his eyes as her brightness enveloped the room blinding both of them for a few moments. Dean wiped his eyes as he tried to see but bright spots danced in front of them making his vision disoriented. Both felt the motherly, gentle touch blow through their hair and caresses their faces before the light dimmed and disappeared.

“Dean where did she go?” Sam asked gripping his arm tightly while searching the room not really understanding what had happened. 

“She went to Heaven.” he said finally able to see the room was empty. “Bye Mom.” he whispered blinking the remaining tears from his eyes as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

“But I wanted to...” Sam started but stopped because he couldn't go on. “I love you too Mom.” he whispered to the empty room. 

“Come on Sammy, there’s nothing left for us here.” he told his brother putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him into his side and guiding him from the room. Sam hiccupped once and drew in a shaky breath before wiping his face on the sleeve of his shirt. They walked back down the stairs and out the door toward the Impala. 

"Dean was she a ghost?" Sam questioned not understanding how they just saw their dead mother.

"Yeah, a spirit, look we'll talk about all that when we get to Bobby's okay? I have a lot to tell you about everything."

"Okay, I guess I can wait." Sam nodded still trying to come up with a logical explanation of what he saw. He had read and watched programs on television about spirits and the supernatural, but he never really thought any of it was true. It looked like he was gonna have to rethink his position on it.

spn

Bobby looked at both boys and knew by their red rimmed eyes and splotchy faces they had been crying. At least neither looked hurt, just upset and sad.

“Are you two okay?” he asked glancing from one boy to the other as they got into the car.

“Yeah, we’re fine.” Dean answered for both of them. “We saw our Mom's spirit in there.” he said cranking the car and pulling away from the curb without saying anything else.

Bobby looked closely at Dean with a surprised look on his face but didn’t ask any questions. He could tell that was all Dean was going to say about the matter for now. It would do no good trying to get any more information from him when he was in this mindset. If they truly saw the spirit of their mother, both boys had a lot to process, especially the youngest one since he didn't know about the things in the dark being real. Guess when they got home, one of them was going to need to talk to him about what was really out there in the darkness.

spn

Dean glanced in the rear view mirror again and looked at his brother who had gone to sleep in the back seat clutching Dean's jacket in his arms. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that his brother was with him again. He was less than an hour from the salvage yard and was anxious to get home and talk to him. He was curious to know how he found them in that graveyard. They didn't go into any details since Bobby wanted to get on the road and Dean wasn't going to discuss anything while he was driving. It also gave me some time to think about everything that had happened and put it in perspective. 

Bobby kept an eye on both the boys feeling the uneasiness and worry wafting from them. Sam would not let Dean out of his sight and if he could, he kept a tight hold on his shirt while Dean kept him always in touching distance. He could feel from both boys that need to stay connected for fear of one being lost again. 

"Ya wanna stop by the store and I'll run in pick up some milk and bread?" Bobby asked him as they neared Sioux Falls. "That'll hold us over until we can go on a supply run."

"Alright." Dean said taking the exit and heading for the store. 

The different motion of the car roused Sam and he looked around at his surroundings, yawning widely and rubbing his eyes. 

"Are we there?" he asked catching their attention as he sat up in the seat so he could see better.

"Almost, Bobby's gonna go grab a few groceries. We're only like twenty minutes away." Dean answered. "How's the arm?" 

"Hurts a little, but I'm okay." he said settling back down.

"Anything special you want kid?" Bobby asked looking back at Sam.

Sam looked at Bobby and hesitated unsure if he should answer or not. He didn't wanna seem pushy or demanding since he didn't know him very well.

"If there's something ya want tell him." Dean said seeing his uneasiness. "He wouldn't of asked if he didn't mean it."

"I like yogurt and apples.” Sam finally said softly. "I have some money to pay."

"Keep yer money, I got this. I'll be back in a few minutes." 

spn

"You live with Bobby?" Sam asked as he watched the older man walk toward the store.

"Yeah, have for a few years now."

"I met a couple of people who knew you, said you stayed with them for awhile, wanted me to tell you hello, Aunt Fay and Preacher."

"You're kidding me, you saw them?" Dean asked in surprised. "When did you meet them?" 

"A few days ago. I found a folder with all the adoption papers and my real birth certificate in it and found out I had a brother, you. All the dreams and the connections with you made sense when I found out I was adopted." Sam explained adjusting his broken arm slightly. "There were times that I knew I didn't fit in but couldn't understand my concerns. I hacked some data bases trying to find information but it didn't help."

"I tried searching all the data bases and the orphanage files, but they hadn't put the old charts on the computer so I couldn't find out who adopted you or anything about you." Dean told him. "So you know how to hack data bases?"

"Yeah, it was pretty easy after I read about it. They changed my name to Trevor, so you'd of had a hard time anyway." Sam sighed knowing a search would have been useless.

"Trevor? Trevor?" Dean repeated, rolling it around in his mouth and frowning at the sound. "You sure don't look like a Trevor to me." he decided. “Not even close.”

"I always felt that it didn't sound right to me either, it just didn't fit me. Sometimes I’d forget it was my name you know and not even answer to it. I didn't understand our connection when I was younger, only that I felt comfort. It was like I knew you made me whole and I you. I have so many questions, I don't know where to start."

"Yeah me too, but let's wait until we get home okay. We can relax and talk." Dean told him. "Were the people who raised you good to you?"

"Yes they were." Sam said staring off lost in his thoughts of his adopted parents. He blinked quickly when Bobby got back in the car sitting two bags on the seat between them. 

"Alright, let's go." he told Dean.

"You got it." Dean said cranking the Impala and heading for the salvage yard. Knowing that Sam had been taken care of and loved was one good thing, he thought to himself. After his experiences in foster care, he was glad that Sammy never had to deal with bad things like he had. From what he could tell, it seemed he was a happy, very smart, well rounded kid.

A/N: So the boys got a little closure, but left some unanswered questions too. Seems like Sam is going to have to learn about all things supernatural now too. Thank you to all who have left me comments. That is what keeps the story going, knowing that you want more. Gonna throw another twist in soon, so prepare yourselves, just giving you fair warning says the little demon luring in the shadows. You know I do like comments so leave me one. NC


	36. Chapter 36

As Dean slowed to turn into the driveway of the salvage yard, Sam stared around at all the wrecked vehicles and buildings and then at the two story house the Impala stopped at. He could tell the house had seen better days and could use a new coat of paint, but it wasn’t too bad. He got out of the car and turned three hundred and sixty degrees trying to take it all in while Dean got their things out of the back. Even with all his intelligence, Sam was still a curious thirteen year old who liked to explore and investigate.

“Come on Sammy, let’s go inside.” Dean told him waiting for him to follow Bobby inside. 

Sam turned, smiled and followed Bobby inside but faltered in his step when he saw the inside. There seemed to be books stacked everywhere in what he thought was the living room and an array of weapons and other items he had no idea what they were laying on bookshelves and tables. He slowly stepped deeper into the room as Dean brushed by him to drop their bags by the stairs and head on into the room toward the kitchen. He could have a field day in this place with all the books at his disposal.

“Oh, kid don’t touch the decor, just pretend it's all loaded.” Bobby cautioned him when he saw him eyeing several of the guns and other items lying around the room. He had started to reach for a knife and jerked his hand back when Bobby spoke. Bobby wasn't sure how the kid was going to take the new knowledge when they told him. He remembered Dean was the same age when he snooped and learned about all monsters 101.

“O-kay.” he replied slowly walking to a stack of books and glancing at the titles noticing they all seemed to deal with supernatural in some way. He could tell that many of the books were old, very old and after picking one up to look at found it was written in Latin. He wasn't sure what was going on here, but he would be open minded until he learned more. Looked like he was going to be learning Latin because he wanted to know what these books said; he wanted to absorb all this knowledge. He looked up when Dean called to him from the kitchen.

“Ya want somethin' to drink?” Dean called. “There's a couple of root beers in the fridge.”

“Sure, yeah, that’s fine.” he finally got out still at a loss for words. 

“You need any meds?” he asked, sitting a bottle on the table for him. 

“I think I’m okay.” Sam said pulling a chair out to sit at the table.

“Soup alright for dinner?” Bobby asked sitting several cans on the counter. 

“Yes sir.” 

“Need any help in there?” Dean asked him.

“No I think I can handle a can opener.” he told him opening the cans and dumping them in a pot to heat. 

“Sammy how did you get to Lawrence?” Dean asked him thinking that was a good place to start. 

“I went online and bought train tickets.” he shrugged. “Seemed the easiest and quickest for a kid alone.” he said like it was nothing unusual and he did things like that every day.

“What about your...” Dean started but couldn’t say it.

“I left a note telling them I found the papers and found out I had a brother. I told them I was going to find you and not to worry I would be fine and would call or email them. Dean I found the newspaper article about the fire when we were little.” he told him staring hard at his soda bottle. “I know what happened to our Mom." he said softly. "Where’s Dad?” 

Dean bit his lip and thought about what to tell him. He looked toward Bobby who was pretending not to listen as he stirred the soup. He decided he wasn't going to but in unless asked.

“Why don’t we eat first and then we’ll have a talk.” he suggested getting up to help Bobby carry the bowls of soup and crackers to the table. 

“Promise?” he asked looking up at him.

“Yeah, promise Sammy.” he nodded joining him back at the table.

They ate their meal mostly in silence, Dean wasn't ready to discuss the past yet and Sam seemed to know to give him a little space and time. When they were finished Bobby suggested they both go on to bed even if it was early, they had been through a lot and he figured if Dean was going to talk to his brother he would feel more at ease if they were alone. Sam asked if he could use his laptop and Bobby showed him where he could plug it in by the living room couch. He went online and sent a short email to his adopted parents letting them know he was safe and would call them tomorrow. He left it plugged in to charge and headed upstairs.

spn

“I’ll make your bed while you use the bathroom.” Dean told Sammy sitting their duffels in the bedroom. “You wanna take a shower? They gave me a bag for your arm so you don’t get the cast wet.” 

Sam looked around the room and at the two twin beds before turning to his brother. “Yes, I think I do.” he nodded going to his bag and digging around for some sleep clothes. 

“It’s across the hall, you gonna need some help?” 

“I’m not sure; can you help me get my shirt off and the bag on?” 

“Yeah, no problem.” he said digging out the plastic bag from his duffel before following him into the bathroom. 

Sam put his clothes on the counter and turned wiggling one arm out of his tee shirt while Dean worked it over his head and down over his cast. Dean looked at the ugly bruise running down Sam’s back from his impact with a grave marker and grimaced. At least he was lucky enough not to have broken anything but his arm. Sam undid his jeans and pushed them down using his good hand and then his feet to step out of them. He stood in front of Dean only in briefs and held his broken arm out to him. Dean took the bag and slipped it over his cast fastening it above his elbow. 

“Alright, towels are here.” he pointed getting sheets out of the linen closet. “There’s shampoo and soap in the shower. If ya need anything just call out, I’ll leave the door slightly open. And Sammy, we'll talk about the other things tomorrow. I know you're probably puzzled by what you saw in the graveyard and Mom and what you saw downstairs, the books and weapons and things. I'll explain it all tomorrow, that okay?” he asked. Dean decided hearing about their Dad was enough for Sam to digest for one night. He didn't want to throw all the supernatural crap at him too for fear of completely overloading his mind.

“Yes, thanks Dean.” Sam said shyly before he pulled the door partly closed. He looked around the room before stepping to the tub and turning on the water. He was looking forward to a nice hot shower and then finding out what happened to their Dad.

spn

Dean began making the other twin bed and listened for Sammy. He could hear the shower come on and the change of the noise as Sam stepped into the spray. He stuffed a pillow into the case and dropped it on the bed before pulling up the quilt and laying an extra blanket at the foot. He stepped back and admired his work before dropping onto his bed to wait for his brother. They had a lot to talk about and he was trying to sort through everything deciding what he should reveal and what he would never tell anyone, especially his little brother. He looked up when Sam came back into the bedroom dropping his dirty clothes on his pack. 

Sam stood in the middle of the room looking at the bed Dean had made up for him. He wasn’t sure what to do, whether to get in his bed or would Dean want him to sit on his.

“Why don’t you join me so we can talk?” Dean told him sliding over on his bed so Sam could sit down on it.

After Sam settled down, he looked at Dean waiting for him to begin. “I guess we have a lot to talk about.” Dean began. “So you read the newspaper article and know Mom died in that fire when you were six months old. We stayed with friends while Dad decided what to do. You have to understand, Dad was...He was devastated when Mom died. He started acting strange, withdrawn, Mom's death changed him. For some reason, he left and when he didn’t come back, we became wards of the state and were put in an orphanage. You were adopted after being there six months. That was the last time I saw you until the graveyard. I always thought Dad would come back and we would come and get you...But that never happened.” he signed looking down at his hands not wanting to look at Sam.

“You didn’t get adopted Dean?” Sam questioned Dean.

“No, I had a few foster families. One wasn’t nice so I was put back in the system. The next was great, I was with them for nearly two years, but they were killed in an accident.” Dean explained not wanting to tell Sammy any details of his first foster family. "And the last one...didn't work out."

“What happened you didn’t like the family?” Sam asked not wanting to tell Dean he read the article in the paper. He didn't know his brother that well, but knew Dean would tell him when he was ready.

“Something like that.” Dean said trying to be evasive. “Anyway, things happened, I left and Aunt Fay found me on the streets and offered me a safe place to stay. I had a mismatched family and stayed with them for just over a year before moving on. I knew I had to keep looking for you, I made a promise.” he told Sammy. “The Rusty Spur was the next stop on my journey to find you. Hank offered me a job and a place to stay. He treated me like a son and was a great friend. Through him is how I met Bobby. I had this feeling that to find you, I had to be with him. He’s taught me a lot of things and he’s been my adopted father for the past three and a half years. During all this time what kept me going was knowing you were out there waiting for me, I had to find you to keep my promise, I never forgot you, thought there were times it was hard to keep the faith.” Dean said finally pausing. He watched as Sam mulled over what he had been told pursing his lips before biting his lower one, just like Dean did.

“Dean, you still didn’t answer my question, what happened to Dad?” Sam asked quietly absorbing all that Dean told him. He tried to match up their links with times that were painful or emotional for Dean and saw the pattern. Those were the times his barrier was down and the connections were made, he was sure of it.

“I don’t know Sammy. The car I’m driving was Dad’s, he had it brought to Bobby’s but never came back to get it. I’ve not heard anything about him from any of Bobby’s contacts.” he said sadly feeling Sam should know the truth, at least as much as he knew.

Sam traced the pattern of a quilt square with his finger tip because he knew Dean thought their father was dead, he just didn’t have any proof. A deep sadness settled over him as he realized in the past few days he had lost his real mother and now his real father without even getting a chance to know either one of them. Silent tears dripped down his cheeks and splashed on his hand. He started to slide off the bed when a warm hand stopped him. Before he knew it, arms were pulling him into an embrace as his tears continued to fall. Sam fisted Dean’s shirt and buried his face into his chest wishing the hurt and pain would go away. He wasn't use to such deep emotional sadness that he was feeling and clung to Dean as his rock, his anchor.

“I got ya Sammy.” he mumbled to him as his own tears dripped down his cheek. “I got ya little bro. We're together now.” he said running a hand through Sam's hair and down his back rubbing small circles to calm him. He began to hum an old tune from the Beatles that their Mom use to sing to them. He opened himself up and let a thread of his soul trail into his brother searching out his own soul and wrapping it in comfort and love. It wasn't long before Dean could feel Sam relaxing into his body and snoring softly. He slid them a little lower in the bed and settled down pulling a blanket up over their bodies for warmth. He didn't want to wake Sammy to send him to his own bed. He had missed this closeness more than anything. For tonight he wanted him beside him where he could feel his heart beat and steady breathing to let him know this was all real and not make believe. It was real, Dean kept telling himself as he drifted off to sleep. They had finally found each other after such a long time of searching.

A/N: Thank you to all who are taking the time to read my story. I hope I am entertaining you and keeping your interest peaked. Comments are welcomed, leave one if you have a moment. NC


	37. Chapter 37

A/N: Fasten your seat belt the ride is going to get bumpy....Don't send any demons my way... Thank you for the comments and giving this story a chance. Wow almost 1300 hits, that's amazing. I do like to know what you think, if you can please comment. NC

WARINING: There is self harm in this chapter. 

 

The house was quiet the next morning as Bobby made his way up the stairs to the boy's bedroom dreading what was coming. He looked inside and found the brothers asleep in Dean's bed; Sam curled tightly into his brother's side. Dean had pulled a quilt up over them and he had his arms draped protective over Sam's small form. It was going to break his heart with what he was going to have to do. Steeling himself, he walked to the bed and started to touch Dean's arm only to have a gun drawn, cocked and aimed at him. 

"Put that away son." he said softly with a hint of concern. 

"Bobby, what's wrong?" Dean asked knowing that tone in his voice. He looked down to see Sammy still sleeping soundly beside him and wondered why Bobby was acting so strange. Bobby took the gun from him and put it in the waistband of his jeans before answering, knowing it was too dangerous for Dean to have the gun.

"Dean, the cops are here. They've come to take Sam back to his adopted parents." 

Dean's face flooded with raw emotions as the understanding to the words hit home. He sat up in bed pulling Sam tighter into his arms. His face turned dark and rage clouded his eyes when he saw the two uniformed cops standing in the hallway waiting.

"No, they can't have him. He's my brother." Dean growled threateningly as his body stiffened and he went into fight mode.

"Dee.." Sam asked aroused by Dean's sudden movements. "What's wrong?" 

"Sam, your parents sent the police to pick you up. They're flying in and will meet you at the police station." Bobby explained to him. 

"They're not my parents and I won't go with them." Sam said stubbornly waking up all the way and pushing himself up in the bed away from Bobby.

"I'm sorry son, but you're a minor and we have to do what they say. Even if they aren't your real parents, they are your guardians and by law we have to do what they want. I'm sorry son."

"No, I won't leave my brother." Sam yelled slapping away Bobby's hand to cling to Dean.

"Sir, I think I can take it from here." a police officer said stepping into the room from the hall. "Trevor, you need to get dressed and come with us."

"My name is Sam and I don't want to." he spat at the officer.

"I'm afraid you have no choice, we have to return you to your parents. They're flying in today to pick you up."

"No Dean." Bobby cautioned him swiping the knife from his hand before the officer said anything. "We have to let him go." he told him knowing this was going to destroy the boy. He saw tears in his eyes that he refused to let fall. His eyes darkened to a deathly rage as a growled began to build in his chest and work its way up into his throat. Bobby kept a strong hold on the boy so he wouldn't attack the policeman and get arrested. He knew how dangerous Dean could be if provoked and taking away his brother was the biggest trigger there was.

"Come on Trevor I'm sorry but we need to get going." the officer insisted guiding him from the bed and pulling him toward the door. Sam dug his heels in and refused to cooperate fighting as hard as he could.

"No, Dee!...Dee!..." Sam cried out trying to reach for him. "No! You don't understand we're supposed to be together!" Sam screamed louder trying to fight the strong grip until the officer picked him up and carried him out.

"S'my..." Dean gasped trying to fight back the crushing feeling as his chest constricted and he felt his heart crumble once again. Sammy was being taken from him again and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was a complete failure, useless; he let his brother down again by not being able to protect him. He was not the big brother he was supposed to be. His guilt and despair broke his soul once again. 

Bobby swore he could hear Dean’s heart cracking and saw the light go out of his soul as his brother was physically removed from the house. He grabbed Dean to stop him from trying to follow as Sam's screaming echoed up the stairs to only fade away to nothing. The policeman's partner picked up the backpack and made to follow but stopped and spoke.

"I'm sorry about this, we're only doing our job." he apologized before leaving seeing the devastated look on Dean's face. He nodded to Bobby and followed his partner down the stairs and outside.

Bobby had spoke with the cops before coming upstairs and they were not going to press any charges, since Sam did come willingly with them. He was not kidnapped, nor held against his will and no harm came to him, but the broken arm that was explained away as him falling and breaking it.

spn

Dean's body trembled uncontrollably in Bobby's arms while he fought to draw air into his oxygen starved lungs. Bobby could hear the wheezing and jerky intakes of breaths as Dean struggled weakly to push him away. He could tell a panic attack was coming on and tried to talk him through it.

"Son, you gotta breath, get some air in yer lungs." he told the boy rubbing his back trying to get him to calm down enough to draw the much needed air into his lungs. Before he could stop him, Dean pulled from his hold and stumbled from the room and down the hall. "Dean! Son wait!" Bobby called after him. He got up and followed after the boy heading downstairs. The front door was standing open and Dean was no where in sight when he stepped into the foyer. "Damn fool kid." he grumbled looking out at the cold rain that had washed the landscape to a wet, cold, grey scene. He knew Dean didn't have a jacket or any shoes on when he fled. He grabbed his rain coat and poncho before heading out to search for him. At least the car was still there, so he couldn't of gone far, he hoped.

spn

The world around him began to close in and he fought to take air into his lungs as black spots swam before his eyes. His mind wouldn't cooperate and the only thing that made sense was to run, to escape from this nightmare. He bolted from the bed and stumbled down the hall and stairs toward the front door. Dean jerked it open and headed out into the yard, not even feeling the bone chilling, cold rain as it fell on his head and body. He headed into the junkyard partly blinded by the tears and the drops of rain that clung to his lashes and trailed down his face. He swiped a hand across his eyes and used the wrecked cars as support to make his way deeper into the maze. His clothes were soaked within minutes as well as his sock covered feet. He ignored the cold wetness that was chilling him to the bone and wandered mindlessly among the dead wrecks wanting to be alone in his misery.

The shaking was making it harder for him to walk as he leaned against an old wreck to drag in a stuttering breath. His feet were going numb and his teeth were chattering as he wrapped his arms around his shaking body. The rain had gotten harder while he lost himself in the stacks of wrecked skeletons that held their own ghosts and stories. 

“Loser!” a voice echoed in his mind causing him to spin around looking for the source. “Failure, you couldn’t protect him then and you can’t do it now!” it hissed at him as he stumbled back and looked into the empty windows of the cars that stared back at him accusingly. 

“You only had one job.” a deep male voice accused that he recognized as his father’s. “Watch out for your brother was that too much to ask? I’m ashamed to call you my son.” John sneered at him as his image shimmered in front of Dean. His dark, hooded features glared at Dean in disgust.

“Dad?” Dean whispered hoarsely. “I tried Dad...” he sobbed. “I tried so hard...” he continued dropping to his knees in front of his father’s wavering form. His body shook with each bone wracking sob as he tilted his head up and let the cold, angry rain beat un-relentlessly on his face. There was no reason for him to go on; his entire purpose had been pulled away from him once again. This was his punishment; it had to be for what he had done so long ago. Let him have the joy and hope; then rip it from him taking his very soul with it. 

"You're useless, should never have taken you in." the male voice yelled at him with utter contempt. Dean tried to shut his mind down but the images kept invading his thoughts condemning him, accusing him, making him feel absolutely defeated and worthless and guilty. 

The rain seemed to slow down to where he could see each individual drop as he gave up. He looked toward a smashed car and saw the ragged sharp edges of steel showing him his way out. His legs wouldn’t support him so he crawled toward the solution. He threw up a wall so strong even his little brother wouldn't be able to see or feel what he was doing. Pulling himself partly up, Dean grabbed the long, sharp sliver of metal that looked so much like a knife, cutting his hand in the process, but he didn’t even feel it. The cold, hard metal ran red for a moment as blood dripped down it only to be washed away by the rain. Closing his eyes and steeling himself, Dean stabbed the make shift knife into his stomach surprised that he felt no pain. Maybe it was because his body was so numb from the storm or it could be Dean had no feelings left. With one final gasp, he wavered for a moment before falling over and sliding into unconsciousness. Blood mixed with the rain as it ran from his body into the mud beside him to be washed away. His last thought was of his little brother and his unwavering, dimpled smile.

spn

“Dean! Son! Answer me!” Bobby yelled as he worked his way through the maze of wrecked cars searching for his adopted son. He had a very bad feeling as he walked faster looking around each corner and into wrecks as he passed them. “Damn it Dean where are you?” he muttered starting to feel helpless. He knew Dean could vanish into the world and disappear with the blink of an eye. If he didn’t want to be found, he could remain hidden as long as he wanted.

Thirty minutes had passed since Dean had blindly run from the house into the junkyard. Bobby turned a corner and saw something lying in the mud halfway down the next row. “Dean?” Bobby called to him as he hurried to his side. He turned the lifeless body onto his back and saw the sliver of metal sticking out from his stomach. “Oh god son what did you do?” Bobby whispered in dismay as he quickly pressed two fingers to his throat searching for a pulse. Dean was ice cold to the touch as he searched frantically for some sign of life. “Don’t you give up on me kid! Don’t!” Bobby hissed at him finally feeling a faint erratic beat. He jerked his cell from his pocket and dialed 911 while trying to spread the poncho over part of Dean’s body. He didn’t want to move him for fear of injuring him worse. After requesting an ambulance, Bobby took his knife and cut the bottom of his shirt off and cut it into. He wrapped Dean's hand, tying it tight to stop the bleeding and pressed the other to the wound trying to stem the blood leaking sluggishly from around the piece of metal. “Hurry damnit, hurry.” he mumbled listening for the siren. “You listen to me boy!” he growled into his ear. “Don’t you dare die on me you understand? You hang in there!” Bobby yelled hoping to get through to him. 

spn

The paramedics heard the shots in the maze of cars and the shout of a male voice guiding them into it and to the victim. They carried the gurney through the stacks of cars and mud as fast as they could move.

“Over here hurry.” Bobby called waving them to him. “He’s been stabbed. The metal is still in him.” he explained as the paramedics bent down to look Dean over.

“Get his vitals.” the senior medic said. “I’ll get a line into him.”

One medic wrapped a cuff around Dean’s arm and placed pads on his chest. The other got an IV line going and started a bag of ringers wide open. He checked the wound and began to pack gauze around it to stabilize the piece of metal so he could be transported without causing further injury. They watched the erratic, jumping beat of his heart on the monitor before putting an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth.

“BP’s so low it’s barely registering and his respiration is shallow, the blood loss is minimum, but he may have internal bleeding. He’s going into hyperthermia from being exposed to the elements.”

“We need to get him to the hospital now or we’re going to lose him.” the older paramedic said getting Dean ready to be put on the gurney.

The medics got him onto the gurney and quickly headed for the ambulance with Bobby on their heels. They loaded Dean into the back and the younger one draped blankets over Dean’s body to try to slowly start warming him up.

“I’ll follow you to the ER.” Bobby told them as he headed into the house for his keys and to lock up. He threw himself into his truck and raced off behind the ambulance toward Sioux Falls General Hospital praying Dean would be alright. From what the paramedics were saying, Dean was in bad shape and it was going to be touch and go. Bobby stepped harder on the gas pedal wanting to get to the hospital to be with him. If he didn't make it, he didn't want him to be alone. Bobby said a silent prayer to anyone who would listen to save his boy.

"We've lost him! How much farther?" the paramedic yelled to his partner as he started working on Dean.   
"Come on kid, you gotta fight!" he growled to Dean as he charged the defibrillator and started CPR. "Drive faster!"


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: I know the last chapter was hard to read and it was just as hard to write. I toiled and rewrote that chapter numerous times trying to get it right, or as right as I could make it. There’s going to be some hills and valleys ahead for the brothers, so be prepared. Comments are welcome. NC

 

Sam sat in the conference room fuming trying to work out an escape plan. He couldn't believe he was taken away from his brother when he had just found him. His rage was getting the best of him and he wanted to hit something or someone. He had never felt anger like this before and he was finding a hard time trying to deal with these new found feelings.

"Trevor!" Emily cried as she and her husband hurried into the room. She went to Sam to try and hug him but he jerked away from her and moved to the other side of the room. "What happened to you?" she cried seeing his broken arm.

"My name is Sam." he said madly, stressing his name. "I fell, it's not your concern, my brother took care of me."

"Don't talk to your mother like that." Joshua told him sternly seeing a rage in his eyes that he had never seen before.

"My mother is dead and so is my father." Sam stated boldly. "The only family I have is my brother and now you've taken him from me. How could you do that? Do you know how cruel that is?"

"Trevor you're just distraught, we'll get you home and settled down, you'll see everything will be okay." Emily told him starting to lay a hand on his shoulder. 

"You don't understand what you did." he stated stepping away the hand and her touch. "My brother needs me, he's been looking for me for years and now you just jerked me away from him again. Hasn't he been through enough in his life? I'm not a kid, I should have a say so with my life." 

"Please Trevor, your brother misses you." Josh said softly. "Let's go home, you're still our son." 

"My name is Sam, don't call me that ever again." he demanded and turned to walk toward the door. A plan was already developing in his mind and if he had to go back with them, so be it, but it wouldn't be for long. He was coming back to his brother and no one was going to stop him, no one. 

Joshua and Emily followed close behind him a loss at what to do or say to their son. Even if he was adopted, he was still their son; they only hoped he would understand why they had to do this. He was a minor and still under their guardianship and they loved him. He was too young to be making adult decisions like he was trying to do. They still saw him as a young teenager and thought he had the mindset of one, but they were so wrong. They were going to find out just how resourceful he could be.

spn

The emergency room doors slid open and the paramedics rushed the gurney into the hospital.

“What've we got?” a doctor asked as she looked down at Dean’s bloody, wet body.

“Sixteen year old male, metal impaled in stomach, signs of hyperthermia, BP barely readable, pulse faint and respiration shallow, started IV with ringers. We lost him on the ride in, but got him back, he's in sinus rhythm now, but I don't know for how long.”

“Let’s get warm blankets and warm saline solution to try to get his core temp up.” he ordered pulling the wades of gauze back enough to see the wound and knife like piece of metal prodding from it. “Draw blood for type and cross match, full panel and I need a portable ultrasound machine in here. Get another line started on him. We need to check for internal bleeding and if the metal did any other damage and notify the OR we need an operating room now.” she ordered stepping back from the bed so the nurses could do their job.

spn

Bobby ran into the emergency room and looked around for Dean. He finally saw him over toward the middle of the row of curtained off rooms and headed that way stopping just outside the cubicle so he wouldn't be in the way.

“Are you family?” the doctor asked.

“Yeah, he’s my son.” Bobby told him figuring a white lie wouldn’t hurt him.

“What’s his name?”

“Dean and I’m Bobby Singer.” he told the doctor.

“Well Mr. Singer, your son is actually lucky. Being out in the elements may have saved his life. His body temperature was so low, it slowed down his bodily functions enough that it started shutting down. This helped slow down the blood loss and shock to his body. We’re going to start warming him up and get him into surgery to remove the metal shard. We’ll keep you informed.” he said before heading off.

“Sir, if you can fill these forms out for me.” a nurse asked gently guiding him to a waiting area and a chair. “I’ll let you know when he goes to surgery and show you were you can wait.” she continue seeing the look of shock on Bobby’s face and noticing the damp clothes he had on. “How ‘bout I get you a cup of coffee?”

“Yes, thank you.” Bobby finally got out as he accepted the clipboard and stared at the pages that he was to fill out. He was still looking at them when the nurse came back with a cup of hot coffee which he gratefully accepted wrapping his cold shaking hand around it. Bobby took a tentative sip trying not to slosh it out of the cup. His head jerked toward the cubicle when Dean was wheeled out and moved quickly down the hall. 

“Sir, your son’s being taken to surgery, we need you to sign these consent forms so we can operate.” the kind nurse explained holding out the forms.

“Alright.” he said scribbling his name where she pointed before going back to the other forms. Hell he didn’t even know his date of birth; he at least knew his name but used Singer as a last name for now. There were so many personal questions about health and allergies and illnesses, it was like filling it out for a stranger. When Dean recovered, he was going to get some basic information in case an emergency happened again and he needed the info.

“Sir, the doctor wants to know if your son has had a tetanus shot.”

“No, he hasn’t.” Bobby answered feeling pretty sure he got that right anyway. He worked on the forms as he drank the coffee letting it warm his body as he shivered slightly in his damp clothes. He quickly went down the list of illnesses checking no to all and hoping for the best. Once he answered as best he could, Bobby got up and took the forms back to the nurse’s station.

“Mr. Singer.” the nurse spoke to him after glancing at the forms. “If you’ll come with me, I’ll take you to the surgery waiting room.”

“Thanks.” he replied following her down the hall Dean had been taken and they waited at the elevator to go up to the fourth floor.

spn

Sam jumped out of the car and headed for the front door of the house he lived in. He couldn’t think of it as his home anymore now that he knew who he really was. Once inside, he headed for his bedroom and closed the door to his adopted parents. He was lucky Bobby had packed his laptop and the police had taken that along with his bag. Sam set it back up and began to type and search for the information he needed. He quickly began to scribble on a legal pad concentrating on finding everything that would be helpful to him. He pulled up the courthouse hours and glanced at his watch to see it was too late today to go there, but he planned on being there when it opened in the morning.

A soft knock broke his train of thought for a moment, before he went back to writing ignoring it.

“Trevor, I fixed something to eat dear.” Emily told him sticking her head in the door.

Sam didn’t look up from his writing nor did he acknowledge her present. 

“Trevor?” she asked not getting any response from him. She finally spoke to him again, “Sam.” she asked.  
Sam stopped for a moment and looked up at her, all emotions void on his face, but didn’t say anything.

“I’ve got some food ready.” 

“I’m not hungry.” he stated flatly and turned back to the screen.

“I’ll make you a plate in case you get hungry.” she said sadly quietly closing the door back. His rejection was breaking her heart and she didn’t know what to do. Josh and she loved him like their very own, but at the moment they were the enemy who took him from his brother. She hoped he would calm down over the next few days and he would talk to them.

spn

Sam didn’t acknowledge her reply, instead kept typing and writing being sure he knew all the details and what he would need to take to the courthouse with him. He printed out a number of forms that he would need to fill out and scanned several more onto his laptop. It was hard for him to hate Josh and Emily, they did give him a good life, but he was extremely mad at them because what they did was unforgivable to him. He planned on calling them and explaining everything, today actually, but they had not accepted what his email said. They had contacted the police who traced his email to Bobby’s. If he hadn’t been so out of it, he would of covered his tracks better. Sam vowed to never make that mistake again. He sat back and looked over at his pack just now remembering the file he had found at the abandoned orphanage and got up to find it and check it out. He rummaged through his pack confused when he didn’t find it. He dumped everything out of it and sat back on the bed thinking back on the past week wondering what could of happened to it. The only explanation he could think of was either Dean or Bobby took it. It didn’t matter that much for now since he found his brother without it. 

He still had some time before bed, so Sam went online and starting doing research on spirits, ghost and supernatural. He began to read all kinds of articles on the subjects, wondering what was true and what wasn't. He continued to read and research until it was bedtime. There were a hundred questions rolling through his head that he wanted to ask Dean, when they were united again. He shut his laptop down and got ready for bed.

After he crawled into bed, Sam tried to reach out to find Dean, but couldn't find the connection to him. He kept at it for nearly twenty minutes before sighing and giving up. Sam wasn't happy about his, but he knew Dean could put up a strong barrier if needed, one he couldn't get through. He knew Dean was going to be livid about him being taken and he wanted to assure him things were going to be okay. Maybe he'd try calling Bobby after he got back from the courthouse and talk to him to assure his brother he was working on a solution. 

spn

“Mr. Singer.” a doctor asked from the door of the waiting room.

“Yes?” he asked standing up and stepping toward him.

“If you’ll come with me, we’ll talk in one of the conference rooms.” she said leading them a few doors down and into a small room. 

Bobby took a seat and waited for the doctor to tell him how Dean was doing. The doctor sat across from him and settled into the chair letting out a small breath before beginning to speak.

“Mr. Singer your son came through the surgery, but is still in critical condition. Once we started warming up his body and removed the shard, he started to bleed profusely. We got that under control and repaired the damage it caused. The angle of the stab nicked his liver and just missed his spinal cord. If it had been a centimeter to the right, he probably wouldn’t walk again. He's not regained consciousness yet, but that may be from the hyperthermia and shock his body sustained. We also need to watch for pneumonia, he’s got a slight rattle in his lungs now; we need to keep a check on that and hope it doesn’t get worse. I’ve put him on O2 to help with his breathing. There’s always a chance of infection and we don’t know if there are any side effects from the cold until he wakes up. I have to tell you sir, his heart stopped twice on us, once in the ambulance and once on the operating table. Right now he‘s holding his own but it is going to be touch and go. The next twenty-four hours are going to be very critical Mr. Singer, you need to prepare yourself.” she said softly knowing how hard it was for a parent to lose a child.

“Thanks Doc.” he said the only words he centered on were Dean was alive. “Can I see him?”

“He’ll be moved to a room into the ICU, I’ll have a nurse come get you.” she said getting up and shaking his hand. "I'll leave word that you are allowed to stay with him." she told Bobby. The only time she allowed family to be in the ICU was when she wasn't sure the patient would make it. And at the moment, she was uncertain if Dean would make it. 

“I appreciate all you‘ve done for him.” he replied following the doctor back out and to the waiting area. 

"I just hope it’s enough sir." she told him shaking his hand before leaving. 

Bobby slumped back onto a chair and wiped a hand down his face. All he could focus on was that Dean was alive, his boy was still alive. He picked up a magazine and flipped through it trying to calm his racing mind while he waited to be taken back to see him. He looked up every time someone walked by the window hoping it was the nurse coming to get him. 

The waiting was the worse part for him. He knew Dean was in good hands, but he wanted to see his boy first hand to see for himself he was okay. He looked down at his hands seeing traces of Dean's blood still on them. He got up and headed for the restroom to scrub them clean. Bobby was worried about Dean's mental state of mind and if he could pull him back from the darkness into the light. He knew the only reason Dean would do something like that was he had given up all hope of being with Sam. He hadn't actually told any one that Dean had done that to himself for fear of him being locked up and not allowed any family contact. The story was he fell onto one of the wrecks and was stabbed with the metal shard while looking for a part for a car. Sounded reasonable to him and he hoped no one would questioned it. He hurried back to the waiting room in hopes the nurse would come and get him soon so he could see his boy.


	39. Chapter 39

The day dawned clear and cool, but at least the rain had move on out. Sam got up, showered, dressed and gathered his notes, forms, a couple of books and some of his rainy day money and stuffed it in his backpack before heading for the kitchen. He grabbed a couple of power bars and water to add to his pack before going to the garage for his bike.

"Trevor where are you going?" Josh asked when he saw him get on his bike.

Sam wouldn't answer to that name and opened the door so he could get his bike out.

"Hey young man, you answer me." Josh ordered.

Sam stopped before pushing off on his bike and turned to stare at him without saying anything.

"Where are you going?" he asked again more calmly.

"To the library." he finally said pushing off and pedaling down the driveway and onto the sidewalk without waiting for Josh to say anything else. 

"Dad where's Trevor going?" Danny asked when he saw Sam ride away. "Can I go?" 

"No Dan, Trevor needs some space." Josh told him as he closed the garage door.

"Is he mad at me?"

"No, I don't think he could ever be mad at you, at least not for long. He's upset with your Mom and me, that's all."

"Okay." Danny said walking back into the house wishing he knew what was going on. He knew Trevor had run away and then he came back, but he could see a change in him. He was more serious, angry, silent and standoffish. Danny decided when he came back he was going to ask him what was going on.

spn

Bobby stirred as a nurse came into the room to check Dean. He had been allowed to see Dean once they got him setup in a room yesterday. It broke his heart to see how pale and lifeless he looked. Even in his sleep, Bobby could tell he was not resting quietly. His face had a pinched look and he noticed his brow would wrinkle as in pain. His hand had to be stitched and bandaged from where he had pulled the shard of metal from the wreck. Bobby was sitting on the side with his good hand and he reached over to squeeze it, feeling how cold it still seemed. He watched the nurse check his vitals and his incision before pulling up his chart on the laptop and typing in her readings. 

"How is he today?" he asked her when she finished.

"Still holding steady. His BP is still a little low and his body temp is still trying to adjust but all in all he's doing as well as can be expected."

"Thanks." he told her looking back at the unconscious boy. He pulled his cell from his jacket as it vibrated. Bobby had gotten up with a friend and had him go by his house to get Dean's duffle so he could bring him some clothes. "Hello...Good I'll be right down." he told him. "Dean I'm going down to the car for a moment, I won't be gone long." he told him rubbing a finger down his cheek. He sighed when he didn't get a response. He headed out of the room and to the parking lot to meet his friend. 

spn

Sam locked his bike to the rack in front of the courthouse and stepped back looking at the large building. He squared his shoulders and headed inside to find the Juvenile Court Office. He read the directory and headed for the third floor. 

"Hello may I help you?" a middle aged lady asked as Sam walked into the office.

"Yes ma'am." Sam said taking off his pack and pulling out paperwork from it. "I want to file for emancipation from my adopted parents. Am I in the right place?"

"Is that so young man, do you know what that means?" she questioned looking him up and down.

"Of course, I have filled out all the necessary forms, I have documentation of employment and my salary, where I will be living, which by the way is with my older brother and his adopted father, I have my school records showing my advancement and that I should be completing high school in another year. I also have a letter explaining my situation and why I want to do this along with documentation to back my reasons for this request. I have also asked to have my name changed back to my true name." Sam said stacking the pages in front of her and waiting for her to respond.

"Well aren't you well informed." she said flipping through the pages impressed with his eye for detail. 

"Is there anything else that I need to provide or do to help speed the process ma'am?" he asked. 

"No I think you have covered it all. Let me make copies of all this and I will start the process and get this to a judge." she said turning to a copier behind her. "Do you have contact information on here; he may want to see you before he sets up the hearing with the parents." 

"Yes, I have address, phone number and email; I prefer to be contacted via email if that is okay."

"Don't see a problem in that, Sam." she said reading his name from the forms. "I'll be sure and note that for you."

Thank you so much ma'am you have been so kind." Sam praised her knowing you could get people to do things easier if you made them feel important and was nice to them but also using his best puppy dog eyes.

"Aren't you such a polite one? Too bad more kids aren't like you." she told him putting a copy of the papers into a folder for him. "It still may take a few days, but I'll see what I can do to move the process alone."

"Yes ma'am, have a good day." he smiled his dimples standing out making him even more adorable.

After unlocking his bike, he pedaled toward the library to return the books he had finished reading. He was going to get some lunch while he was out and run a couple of errands before going home. Then he was going to try and find Bobby's number so he could get in touch with his brother and let him know what he was doing. Maybe if things went smoothly, he would be reunited with Dean in a week or so. At least that was his hope, even if it was two weeks, he could live with that, he just hoped Dean could. When he got home, he was going to start packing what he wanted to take with him and ship it to Bobby's so it would be there when he got there.

spn

"Thanks Ted, appreciate the help." Bobby told his friend as he accepted the duffle from him.

"No problem Bobby, how's the boy doing?"

"Holding his own for now."

"Let me know if you need anything else."

"I will." he nodded as Ted drove away. 

He sat the duffle on the seat of his truck and opened it to get out some clothes. Under Dean's tee shirts Bobby spotted some folded up papers and pulled them out to see what they were. He remembered Dean was searching the files at the orphanage and took something. He flipped through papers on his brother Sam. It had his adoption parent's address and phone number along with copies of reports on Sam, with a copy of his birth certificate. Bobby put all the papers back but the one with the phone number on it. He headed back into the hospital deciding to stop by the cafeteria to grab a large coffee and some type of sandwich for breakfast. 

spn

As Bobby got off the elevator, he saw a doctor and several nurses going into Dean’s room. Concern coursed through him as he hurried to the room and stepped inside to find them standing around Dean’s bed. 

“Start antibiotics and monitor his fever. If we have to, we will use cold compresses to try and get it down.” the doctor told one of the nurses.

“What’s happening?” Bobby asked the doctor looking over at Dean’s sweaty face concern laced in his voice.

“He’s started running a fever from an infection, so we’ve started him on antibiotics and will keep a close watch on it. We’ve got to try and keep it down and keep his lungs clear.”

“Why hasn’t he woke up?” 

“I don’t know, waking up is up to him. He has got to want it.” the doctor told Bobby not coming right out and saying she thought the boy might not be fighting to wake up. She smiled with sympathy toward the older man before leaving the room.

spn

After the nurses finished with the doctor’s instructions and left, Bobby pulled a chair close to the bed where he could hold Dean’s hand and talk to him. 

“Son I hope you can hear me.” Bobby said softly to the feverish boy. “Dean you’ve got to fight this, you’re strong boy, stronger than you know so don’t ya go givin' up ya hear me? There's people out there who need you Dean, I need ya and yer brother needs you too.” he whispered as his voice cracked and tears filled his eyes. He bowed his head as he gently rubbed the boy’s hands in his calloused one. 

“S’ry.” a strained voice tried to say before he half gagged, half coughed weakly.

Bobby jerked his head up to look into Dean's flushed face. He quickly stood up and cupped the boy’s face with his hand and spoke, “Dean, son, can you hear me?” 

“P’ished.” he gasped trying to wet his dry lips so he could speak. 

“Here, try a sip of water.” he said picking up the cup from the table. Bobby held the straw to Dean’s cracked lips waiting for him to sip the cold liquid. He pulled on the straw and let the cold wetness slip between them and begin to dampen his mouth. Dean let the wetness slip down his sore throat before trying to speak again. His throat was raw and burned as he tried to swallow. His body felt like lead and he couldn't even lift a finger. His breathing was short and raspy as he tried to talk.

“Bein’ p’nshed.” he whispered again as he squeezed his eyes shut making tears drip out of the corner of them. "Kil-ed...h'm..."

“I don’t understand? What're ya talkin' 'bout?” Bobby questioned not understanding what Dean was trying to tell him. He pressed the call button to get a nurse in there since he was awake.

“Cou'n't p'tec h'm.” he slurred as he slipped back into the darkness before he could say anything else. Dean coughed again and Bobby heard the rattling in his chest and it sounded worse.

Bobby brushed a hand through his damp hair and pondered the words. He took a cloth and wiped his face and neck before sitting back down. 

"Can I help you?" the nurse asked looking at Dean's vitals.

"He was awake for a minute or so, spoke to me and the rattling in his lungs sounds worse." Bobby told her as she listened to his heart and lungs. 

"He's unconscious again, but that was a good sign him waking up. I'll let the doctor know and about his breathing." the nurse said typing notes on the laptop before leaving.

spn

 

Bobby watched Dean’s chest slowly rise and fall in shallow breaths and began to go back over the reports he had read in the file from the orphanage. The first foster family he had, he was physically and emotionally abused and there was another boy who died from the abuse, if his memory served him right. Then there was the couple who was killed in a car accident, seemed they were good people. The last report had him going to a family and several months later the father died in an accidental fire. There was evidence that the father had been really good at hiding his abuse of the boys they fostered. The authorities didn't know what happened to Dean, whether the man had killed him and disposed of the body or if he ran away. Bobby started putting it all together; Dean had been raped by that bastard and he started that fire killing the monster. It was the only thing that made sense to what Dean was trying to tell him.

“Oh son, it wasn’t your fault. You did what you had to; you’re a survivor not a killer.” Bobby whispered to the unconscious boy absently rubbing his clammy arm with a warm hand. "Don't let it destroy you; you've got a brother out there who wants to get to know you. We can go visit him and maybe he can stay with us some too. Fight this son, you gotta fight and come back to me." he said hoping his words didn't fall on death ears.

Bobby continued to whisper to the boy whom he thought of as a son hoping some of what he said was getting through to him. He wanted to make Dean understand that he had so much to live for and to fight like the hunter he knew he was. Every time a nurse came in to check him, he was told the same thing, no change.

A/N: So we now know what Sam has planned to return to Dean. Before anyone gets upset, Sam is not doing this to hurt his adopted parents and is not going to cut them out of his life. You will se as the story progresses he wants them still in his life, but he needs his brother too and that's what is important to him at the moment. Thank you to all who are taking this journey with me. Comments are much appreciated. NC


	40. Chapter 40

"Mr. Singer, I have to be honest with you, I'm worried about your son's condition. He doesn't seem to be getting better and he's not regaining consciousness like we had hoped." the doctor said as she looked over Dean's records. "It seems like he doesn't want to fight to get better. The fever hasn't gone up anymore, but it's not broke either."

"What can we do?" he asked trying to keep the fear from his voice. 

"Talk to him, keep encouraging him to fight. He needs a reason to live." she suggested. "If his lungs continue to fill with fluid, I'll have to put a drain tube in to keep them clear. I'm hoping the higher dose of antibiotics will help with that also. If he does wake up again, have the nurse contact me. It wouldn't hurt to say a few prayers either."

"I will." he sighed looking at Dean's pale, sweaty face. He wasn't sure if he could get through to him but he knew someone who could. Bobby pulled out his cell and the paper from Sam's file and stepped into the hall to call the number.

spn

"Hello." Emily said.

"Hello, Mrs. Masters, ma'am you don't know me, my name's Bobby Singer, but your adopted son, Sam, was staying with me and his brother before the police came for him. Please can I speak to him?"

"I don't think so." she replied haltingly. "He's been upset enough since we got back and I won't have him bothered again. He needs to focus on getting ready for school."

"Ma'am I'm calling because his brother is very sick and in the hospital." Bobby continued hoping to change her mind. "He's not doing good and I was hoping maybe Sam could come see him or talk to him on the phone." He hoped maybe hearing Sam's voice would trigger something in Dean and get him to wake up.

"My son's name is Trevor and I'm sorry to hear that about the young man, but I don't think that will be possible. Please don't call again. I will not let my son get involved in any of this. I'm sorry." she informed him hanging up the phone. Emily knew what she did was wrong, but she couldn't lose her son. If he didn't know this, he wouldn't try to leave again and would settle back down. She convinced herself that he was only confused and given a little time he would see things their way and settle back into his life with them.

spn

Sam had found a couple of boxes in the garage and he was going through his things packing them to send to Bobby's. He had found the address of the salvage yard online and planned on getting them in the mail in the next day or so. He kept a close eye on his email waiting for contact from the judge's office. The paperwork said he would receive a confirmation email of the date and time for the interview.

"Trev what ya doing?" Danny asked looking at the boxes and the things on his bed.

"I'm packing some of my things up and my name's Sam, not Trevor."

"What do you mean your name’s Sam?"

"It was changed when I was a year old." 

"Don't you want these things anymore?" he asked looking at the items on his bed.

"Yes I still want them; I'm going to mail them to a friend. You see Danny, I'm going to be leaving soon to go live with my older brother." he tried to explain.

"Why, don't you like it here? Why can't he come live with us so you don't have to go?"

"Look, you see your Mom and Dad are not my real parents, they adopted me when I was little and raised me. What I didn't know until a week ago was I have a big brother, that's where I went to find him. He was looking for me too but couldn't find me. He's the only family I have left and I need to be with him. We've been apart for nearly twelve years Danny, beside, I would be moving out soon anyway once I finished high school."

"What about me? Don't you love me anymore?"

"Hey I'll always love you, but I need to be with my real family now. If Josh and Emily will let me, I'll come back to visit you and I'll send you emails to stay in touch." 

"I don't want you to go." he said as his lower lip began to tremble and huge tears filled his eyes.

"It'll be okay." Sam told him giving him a hug. "I won't forget you, you know that don't you?"

"I guess, but I'll still miss you." he replied giving him a hug.

"I know and I'll miss you too." he said hugging him tight.

spn

Bobby hung up the phone and tried to decide what to do. He couldn't go against Sam's adopted parents wishes, they were his guardians but he had to do something to save Dean. Deciding there was one other person to call, he scrolled through his contacts until he found the number.

"Hello The Rusty Spur, Hank speaking."

"Hank, its Bobby."

"Bobby! Good to hear from you, how are things and how's our boy doing?"

"That's what I'm calling about, I need your help. Dean's in the hospital, doc says it's not good." 

"The one in Sioux Falls?" Hank asked the jolliness gone from his voice.

"Yeah, think you can come?"

"I'll be on my way as soon as I can pack a bag and see if there's a flight out today." he told him.

"Hurry." Bobby prompted not wanting to tell him what happened over the phone. "I can have a friend meet you at the airport if you let me know when you'll get in."

"I will, I'll see you soon." Hank told him hanging up.

spn

Bobby hung up his cell and went back into the room to sit by Dean's bed. He wiped his face with a cool, damp cloth feeling the heat coming from his skin. The monitor came on pumping the cuff up to check his vitals and Bobby watched noting the readings and that they were lower than the last time he had seen them. His fever had gone up a half degree, which was not good.

"Dean you hang in there kid, someone's coming to see ya. Ya gotta wake up so you can talk to him. He's really missed you and wants to know what you've been doing. Fight it kid, don't go giving up." he pleaded with him. "We got a lot more training and you got a lot more to learn about cars so you can work on them on your own. I need your help son, you can't leave yet." Bobby bowed his head, even if he wasn't a praying man; he said a silent prayer for Dean hoping maybe there was someone out there listening.

spn

Hank thanked Bobby's friend for picking him up at the airport and got out looking up at the hospital, steeling himself for what he was going to find inside. Bobby hadn't given him much detail on Dean's condition but he knew it had to be bad to call him. He gave Bobby a quick call so he could drop his bag in his truck before going up to see Dean.

"Hank." Bobby called to him as he stepped from the hospital entrance.

"Bobby, how is he?" Hank asked shaking his hand.

"A little worse I'm afraid, let's get your bag put in the truck and we'll go see him." he told him leading him into the parking lot. They stored his bag and headed back to the entrance neither man very talkative. 

"Bobby what happened?" Hank finally asked thinking knowing what happened might help him. They were the only ones on the elevator so he decided it was safe to ask. He wondered if a hunt had gone wrong.

"Short version, Dean found his younger brother and he was taken away from him, again." Bobby started not wanting to say the words out loud. 

"So that was what he was searching for, his brother." Hank nodded now understanding Dean a little better.

"Dean took it really hard, it broke him..." he paused as the doors opened. "He tried to hurt himself." Bobby whispered taking in a deep breath.

"No, no, not our Dean." Hank gasped grabbing for the wall to support him reading between the lines of what he was saying. 

"C'mon this's our floor." Bobby told him guiding him from the elevator. "To make matters worse, he was out in a storm, he's got pneumonia. He's running a fever and his lungs are fillin' with fluid. Doc says they might have to put in a chest tube to keep them drained. Hank, you need to prepare yerself." Bobby told him before pushing the door open.

spn

Hank walked into the dimly lit room and saw Dean lying in the bed. His face was flush with beads of sweat sprinkled across his forehead. Even with the fever, he was pale and clammy. He walked closer to the bed hearing the wheezing and saw how difficult it was for him to draw in a breath.

"Oh son, what did you do?" he cried running a hand over his damp hair as he looked down his body seeing the bandaged hand and wondering what his other injuries were. He wiped his eyes, brushing away the tears before they fell.

"Look, I need to run home get a quick shower and clean clothes, will you be okay staying with him until I get back?"

"Yes, I'm not going any where until Dean is better." Hank said not taking his eyes off the boy and sitting down in the chair by his bed where he could rub his arm and talk softly to him.

"I'll pick us some dinner up on the way back. Call me if anything changes." he told him seeing he wasn't listening. Bobby turned and left wanting to get home and back here as soon possible. 

spn

"Son I'm here, it's Hank, it's been a while since I seen ya, looks like you've had another growth spurt." he whispered to Dean. "You need to come back to us, Bobby and me we need ya kid, you can't leave us, what would we do without you? Come on Dean, open your eyes, we'll figure all this out."

There was no outer movement from Dean, except for his chest rising up and down slightly, as he lay lifeless on the bed. Dean was lost in his own mind as his demons tormented him. He curled tighter into a ball, in his head, while echoes of their abuse bounced around him. 

"Loser, useless bastard, can't do anything right." they screamed at Dean.

"How could you be my son? I'm so disappointed in you." his father sneered at him. 

"You said you'd protect me Dean, you let me die." Billy's spirit told him.

Dean moaned and cried as they circled him, taunting him and driving him deeper into himself, while the guilt ate away at his soul. He let the battering beat him down sending him into a dark void of nothingness. It pressed in on him making it hard for him to draw in a breathe. He was panting in shallow breaths feeling his soul dim as he accepted his fate knowing he deserved worse. His breathing got worse as he tried to pulled air into his lungs.

Hank looked at the monitors as loud, steady beeping filled the room. He watched the beats become erratic as nurses and staff raced into the room and began working on Dean. Hank stumbled back not able to take his eyes off the screen as it flat lined because Dean's heart stopped beating. He was pushed out of the room by a nurse and used the wall for support as he heard the urgent mumbling voices inside trying to bring Dean back to them. He fumbled with his cell and found Bobby's number getting ready to call when a nurse came out to tell him they were taking Dean to have a chest tube put in to get the fluid out of his lungs. Hank thanked her and blew out the breath he was holding, relieved he was still hanging on.

 

A/N: Thanks for the comments and thank you to the silent readers. Wow over 1400 hits, I'm blown away. Can't give spoilers, but hope you are enjoying the story. Would love to hear what you think, please comment. NC


	41. Chapter 41

Bobby let himself into his house and headed for his bedroom. He grabbed clean clothes and went into the bathroom to get a quick shower. When he was done, he packed a small bag to take back to the hospital so he could stay near. He answered his cell and listened to Hank explain what had happened at the hospital. He stepped into the living room and stood for a moment letting him mind calm and deciding he would try one more time to contact Sam. Bobby picked up his home phone and dialed the number again.

"Hello." Joshua said answering the ringing phone.

"Mr. Masters, my name is Bobby Singer, I tried to talk to your wife yesterday, but she didn't want to speak to me. I'm sorry to bother you again." 

"Exactly who are you?" he asked looking over at the couch where his wife was setting. He saw a look of anxiousness, fear, doubt and guilt playing across her face as she wadded the tissues in her hands.

"Bobby Singer, Sam was staying with me when the cops came to get him. Look I know you want to protect him and all, but I need to speak with him, it's about his brother, Dean."

"What about him?"

"He's in the hospital and he's dying sir. Mr. Masters, that boy is like a son to me, I've raised him for the last four years and I don't want to lose him. He was devastated when Sam was taken and has given up. I know Sam is upset with you for taking him from his brother, how is he going to feel if his brother dies and you didn't tell him? You'll lose him for good. Please I don't want to lose my son either." Bobby explained hoping he would be more willing to help than his wife. "I know it's a lot to ask, but Sam is the only one who can save his brother."

"What hospital is he at?"

"Sioux Falls General Hospital, but you better hurry. I don't know how much time he has." 

"We'll be on the next flight available Mr. Singer." Joshua said hanging up to turn and look at his crying wife. "How could you do that Emily?" he questioned her.

"I just wanted Trevor to see he belongs here with us. I didn't mean any harm." she whispered.

"You shouldn't of kept that from him, he deserves to know."

"Know what?" Sam asked walking into the room on his way to the kitchen.

"Trevor, I mean Sam, go pack a bag, we need to go back to Sioux Falls." Joshua told him not taking his eyes off his wife. "Something has happened to your brother, he's in the hospital."

Sam looked from Joshua to a guilty looking Emily who wouldn't look at him. A fire raged in him as he shot daggers at her before turning and heading to his room to pack a bag. Josh was glad Sam didn't have access to any weapons because he wasn't sure what he would do. Emily had crossed the line with Sam and it was going to be hard for it to be forgiven. 

"I'm so disappointed in you Em, you should of let Mr. Singer talk to Sam. If his brother dies before we get there, you know he will be lost to us, he will never forgive you." Joshua chastised his wife. "I'm going to check the flights out and see if I can get us on the next available one to Sioux Falls. You stay here with Danny." he told her before heading to his office to check on fights.

Emily cried silently afraid to think she might have lost her oldest son. She didn't know if he would ever forgive her for what she did, especially if his brother didn't make it. She still wanted to protect Trevor and was trying to figure out a way around all this. Trevor needed them, she was sure of that and just had to show him.

spn

"Brother hasn't the boy suffered enough in his life, please let me help him." Castiel asked his brother Michael.

"Not yet. Are you becoming attached to this human child?" Michael answered looking over at his brother. 

"No, but I thought we were to help the humans like Father wanted."

"Father hasn't wanted anything in a long time. We need to help ourselves now and what better way than to make Heaven here on Earth?"

"I'm not sure I understand, isn't he too young still to be your vessel?"

"We need to wait for the younger one to get there. Fate will put them on the right track, their roles will play out as they should. Don't worry; it's not his time."

"So you will let me help?"

"Wait until he dies again and yes you may help the boy, but only if he wants that." Michael said walking away. "Keep me informed of what he decides."

Castiel looked down on his charge and wondered what his brother was not telling him. He was a soldier of the Lord and was not always told the big picture. He didn't like seeing his Father's creations suffering like this boy was doing now. Castiel could feel his soul getting weaker and knew it wouldn't be long if he didn't intervene. 

spn

Bobby walked back into the room to find it empty of Hank and Dean. He looked toward the bathroom and didn't see anyone and headed quickly to the nurses' station.

"Excuse me, the boy in room 478? He's not back yet?"

"Mr. Singer." another nurse spoke to him. "Dean was taken into surgery to put in a drain tube. He should be back soon."

"And the other man that was with him?" 

"I believe he stepped out to get a coffee."

"Thanks." he said turning to head for the elevator only to see Hank stepping off of it. He looked pale and shaky as he headed back to Dean's room. Bobby followed him and found him inside sitting in a chair. 

"Hank, what happened? You wern't too specific on the phone."

"Bobby I watched our boy die and there was nothing I could do to stop it." he said quietly a look of despair plastered on his face.

"Balls!" he spat taking the other chair and sitting down. 

"They brought him back and took him to surgery."

"I got a hold of his brother's adopted father and he's going to catch the next flight out with Sam."

"I hope it's not too late. Bobby it about killed me to see Dean die."

"I know Hank, but he's in good hands, hopefully he'll get better once they drain the fluid. I got us some dinner if you're hungry." he offered sitting a bag on the serving table.

"Don't think I could keep anything down right now, I'm doing good to keep this coffee down."

"Well, it'll be here if you want it." Bobby told him. "Hank I found some things out about Dean that I think you should know." he said holding out some folded pages.

Hank accepted the papers and unfolded them so he could read them. Bobby sat back and sipped his water while he watched Hank read. He saw the sadness change to one of anger and back to sad again before he looked up at Bobby in horror. 

"Please tell me this isn't true, that this didn't happen to our boy." he begged.

"Sorry old friend, it's all true; Dean had a very rough life when he was young. It's a wonder he's as strong and together as he is. We both knew there were bad things he didn't talk about to anyone."

"I know, I was hoping he would feel like he could one day."

The two men stopped talking as Dean was wheeled back into the room looking even more paler if that was possible. They positioned the bed and got everything hooked back up before leaving them alone reminding them to call if anything was needed. Once they left, Bobby continued with their conservation but softer.

"That last report there, the one with the fire and the man's death...From what little I was able to understand when he came to...Dean set the fire that killed him." he said quietly.

Hank looked back at the report, scanning it and over at Dean before he understood the full meaning and gasped out loud.

"You mean this sorry sonovabitch....He...So that explains what happened at the bar." Hank got out.

"At the bar?" Bobby questioned. "What didn't you tell me?" 

"Some guy attacked me when I was leaving the bar one night."

"What did he want your money?"

"No, he wanted Dean." Hank said slowly. "He threatened to kill me if he didn't come downstairs. God Bobby he was going to rape him, but Dean... Our son beat the shit out of him. He would of killed him, but I stopped him. I think he was reliving what happened to him back then."

"Damn, kid can't seem to catch a break. So now's he blaming himself, thinks he's being punished for killing that man. He's given up; he's not fighting to come back." Bobby told him a sense of dread coming over him. "Since Sam was taken away from him for a second time, he has no reason to wanna live." 

"How long you think before he might get here?"

"I don't know, I just hope its soon." he sighed watching the blip of a heart beat dance across the screen. 

They watched Dean's chest rise slightly to barely take in air. A machine was quietly working at drawing out the fluid from his lungs to make it easier for him to breathe. His cheeks were still flush from the fever that didn't seem to want to go away, but it had at least dropped slightly, so they hoped that was a positive sign.

"I feel so helpless Bobby; I don't know what to do."

"I know, I know." he agreed. "Dean you hang on son, yer brother is coming. Do you hear me, Sam is coming back." 

spn

Sam grabbed his pack and stuffed clean clothes inside. He brought up his laptop and sent an email to the courthouse explaining his situation and that he would be out of town and would contact them when he returned to continue with the process of emancipation. Once he was done, he shut it down and packed it to take along. He gathered his two bags and headed back to the living room.

Joshua looked up when Sam walked back into the room carrying his two bags. 

"I've contacted the airport and the next available flight won't be until late tomorrow night."

"That's too long, we need to go now."

"Wait, I found another flight that leaves in three hours that will fly us to Pierre and from there we catch a flight to Sioux Falls. That should put us there after dinner tonight." Joshua explained.

"We need to leave in twenty minutes to get to the airport to check in."

"I'm ready."

"Let me get a bag packed and we'll leave." 

"Trev... I mean Sam are you coming back?" Danny asked standing in the doorway to the kitchen a look of rejection on his face.

"I will be once I know my brother is okqaay. I have to finish up my business here before I go join him." he told him not seeing Emily was listening to him. 

"What business are you talking about Trevor?" Emily asked. "You'll be coming back here and getting ready for school to start. Once you see your brother is fine, Josh will bring you back. You need to understand how things are going to be." 

"My name is not Trevor and you are not any relations to me. I will do what I need to do." he said turning on his heels and walking away from her to go wait in the car. Sam was not going to argue with her, nor was he going to let her stop him from seeing his brother and going to live with him. He didn't know if he could forgive Emily for trying to keep the news of Dean from him.

"Now is not the time Emily, you need to stop this." Joshua told her following Sam to the car. "I'll call you later."

Emily stood with Danny as they watched them drive away. She sighed softly and steered him back into the house so she could fix some lunch trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

A/N: Sam is now on his way back to Dean. Will Dean decide to stay? At least Josh is understanding. Thank you to all who give me encouragement to write. Comments and thoughts are welcome. NC


	42. Chapter 42

Sam tensed as the plane touched down at Sioux Falls Airport. He waited impatiently as it taxied to the terminal, anxious to get to the hospital and his brother. Joshua had a rental waiting for them and quickly filled the paperwork out, got directions to the hospital and they left. He had Bobby’s cell and was going to call as soon as they found the hospital to see what room they were in.

Sam gazed out the window of the car lost in his own thoughts and anxious to get to the hospital. He finally spoke to his adopted father in a quiet tone.

“Thank you for bringing me.”

“Tr...Sam I want you to understand we were going to tell you everything when you were older.” Joshua told him. “And I’m sorry we didn’t adopt your brother too. Emily and I so wanted children but when we were told she couldn’t have them, we turned to adoption. You see we were afraid to take both of you for fear we couldn’t handle two kids. We wanted to start off with one and then after we saw how things went, we were going to adopt another, but she got pregnant...Big shock to both of us when that happened. I just want you to know, we weren’t trying to hide anything from you.” 

Sam mulled over his words for several minutes before answering. “I understand, so I hope you understand what I have to do also. There, turn here.” Sam pointed to a sign that showed a big blue H.

Joshua signaled his turn and saw the hospital up ahead. He followed the signs looking for visitor parking and found a spot. Sam started to jump out of the car, but he stopped him.

“Let me call this Bobby person and see where we need to go.” he told Sam before he could leave. Joshua dialed Bobby and waited for an answer. “Hello, we’re in the parking lot...Ok we’ll meet you at the elevators.” Joshua nodded to Sam and got out to follow him into the hospital wanting to ask him about what he said but knew now was not the time.

spn

Bobby stepped off the elevator and glanced around until he saw Sam and a man standing nearby. Sam ran to Bobby and gave him a quick hug which surprised the older hunter, but pleased him too. He patted his back lovingly looking down at the younger Winchester.

“Take me to my brother.” he said solemnly looking up into the hunter’s face. 

Bobby stared into the boy's wise eyes amazed at what he saw. He was looking into the eyes of one much older than the boy's tender years. There was a sense of knowledge behind those eyes that spoke more than anyone could ever understand.

“Before I do son, you need to know that he’s gotten worse and the doctor...” he trailed off trying to keep the sob from his voice but not able to say the words the doctors had said to him. "The doctor's want us to be prepared if..."

"Don't think like that Bobby, my brother is stronger than you think, I can get through to him. Come on, we're wasting time." Sam told the older hunter anxious to see his brother.

spn

They got on the elevator and went up to the fourth floor waiting for the doors to open. Bobby led them off the elevator and down the hall to the room at the end. He slowly opened the door and glanced in before opening it for them to enter. 

Hank looked up from his position by the bed and watched a teenage boy step into the room faltering in his steps when he saw Dean lying so still in the bed. He looked up at Bobby who nodded it was okay before moving from the side of the bed. 

Joshua swallowed hard when he saw the young man in the bed who was so pale he blended in with the sheets. He glanced at the monitors and IV’s with lines running to his body along with other tubes and felt sorry for him. He watched Sam slowly approach his brother letting his pack drop from his shoulder before sitting down on the bed. 

“Let’s go grab a coffee.” Bobby told the two men at the door wanting to give the brothers some time alone. The men followed him out of the room and toward the elevator to go to the cafeteria.

spn

Sam looked his brother over as he listened to his labored breathing and the noise of the machine drawing fluid from his lungs. He picked up his uninjured hand and held it between his, feeling how cold it seemed. He had never seen so many tubes and lines running from a person, but Sam had never experienced anything like this before. He listened to the soft beat of the heart monitor and looked at his brother's stats.

“Dee.” he said softly swallowing back a sob and the lump in his throat. “Oh Dee you can’t leave me, we just found each other.” he whispered to his brother. He closed his eyes and held on tight to his hand as he reached out searching deep for his brother. He probed and picked his way into Dean’s mind only finding a weak barrier to stop him. With a gentle push, Sam squeezed in and continued his search for his brother's soul. 

Darkness engulfed Sam pressing in on him as he let his light shine brighter searching his brother out. He moved carefully through his brother’s mind searching out his light. He saw a fading glimmer and moved toward it letting his essence flow out zeroing in on the pulsating grey light that was starting to dim even more with each beat of Dean’s heart. 

“Dee, I’m here, its okay big brother come back to me.” he whispered touching his dimming soul to feel it waver ever so slightly. “You can do it bro I’m not leaving you.” Sam told him wiggling in between the railing and his brother’s body to curl against him as tight as he could. He kept a firm grip on his hand and laid his other across his chest so he could feel his shallow breathing. Sam continued to minister to his brother trying to pull him back from the darkness. He let his essence wrap around his brother's soul charging it with new life and hope. Sam continued to bathe Dean's dying soul with his life force trying to give him enough strength to fight back to him.

spn

Bobby sat down at a table with two cups of coffee and pushed one toward Joshua. Hank joined them with his own cup and sized the man up as Bobby started talking to him.

“Thank you for bringing Sam here.” Bobby told him. "I just hope it's in time."

“I want to apologize for my wife’s behavior...” he started.

“Doesn’t matter now, he’s here is what’s counts. At least now if Dean...Sam had a chance to see him.”

“What happened?” 

“That boy’s been lookin’ for his brother since they were separated all those years ago, I figure around twelve. He’s had a hard life but he never once stopped looking, no matter what happened to him. I ain’t never seen two happier boys when they found each other. You could tell they were meant to be together. Then the cops took Sam away...It broke Dean in ways you can never imagine...he tried to ki...” Bobby told him faltering before he could finish the sentence and blinked back the tears pooling in his eye.

“That boy is a good kid who had a lot of bad thrown at him and he still stayed strong. He’s the son I never had; I think the same goes for Bobby.” Hank added as he wiped a tear away. "You don't know the dedication he had for finding Sam."

“I’m so sorry.” Joshua said quietly looking down at his coffee not sure what to say. It haunted him that his actions may cost the life of a boy. Sam’s email had said he was fine and would call the next day, but Emily was so insistent that they call the police and have him picked up. She was sure they could trace the email back to where it was sent from and go pick Sam up and keep him at the station until they could fly in. If Dean died, he didn’t think Sam would ever forgive them.

“Let’s get back upstairs and check on them, don’t like to be gone for too long.” Bobby told them getting up from the table. The others followed suit and walked with him out of the cafeteria to the elevators. They rode up in silence and stepped off on the fourth floor heading for Dean’s room.

spn

All three stopped in the doorway of the room and looked in at the two boys. Sam had protectively curled himself around his brother and was holding him close. Bobby glanced at the monitor and saw the slow beat of Dean’s heart. He watched it closely and saw it skip a beat, almost stopping, before picking back up. He let out the breath he was holding after it started beating again. Dean had been having erratic heartbeats since he had gone into cardiac arrest and they brought him back. The doctors were not hopeful that he would wake up as weak as his body was and not having the will to fight. 

“Should I try and move him?” Joshua asked not sure the nurses would like Sam in bed with his brother.

“Don’t think you could if you tried. He’s latched on like a leech.” Bobby noted seeing the death grip Sam had on Dean’s gown and his hold on his good hand. "Might as well let them both sleep, you're not getting Sam to leave his brother's side."

“I’ll go find another chair.” Hank said since there were only two chairs in the room.

spn

Bobby and Joshua went on in and each took a chair. Joshua moved his back from the bed slightly so Hank could sit closer to Dean. Hank was back with a chair in a matter of minutes and nodded to Joshua thanking him for his consideration. The three men had just settled into the uncomfortable chairs when an alarm started beeping from the monitor showing Dean’s heart beating erratically. 

Sam rose up quickly and looked down at his brother who had stiffened suddenly and then went limp. He tried to feel his respiration under his hand and couldn’t find one.

“No-no-no... Dee no!” he cried looking up as nurses and doctors ran into the room.

“He’s crashing, get a crash cart now.” the doctor ordered.

Bobby had pulled Sam off the bed and was holding him tight as he fought to get to his brother. 

“Let me go!” he screamed. “He needs me!”

“Get these people out of here.” the doctored ordered loudly. “Let’s go people, we’re losing him.”

“Come on everyone, give them some space.” a nurse told them as she tried to herd them out the door while the others worked on Dean.

“No! No!” Sam cried madly jerking and wiggling breaking Bobby’s hold on him. "I need to be with him!"

“You can’t go in there.” Hank told him blocking his way. “We have to let them help Dean.”

“Sam, son they’re doing everything they can.” Joshua told him laying a hand on his shoulder.

Sam jerked away and backed down the hall before turning and running away. He ran blindly with no destination in mind, only the image of his brother's lifeless body not breathing scorched into his brain. 

“Sam, wait, Sam!” Joshua called to him starting after him.

“Let him go, he won’t go far.” Bobby told him as they waited impatiently outside the door to see if the doctors could bring Dean back again or if his life was going to slip away from them. 

spn

Sam slipped onto the elevator before the doors closed heaving and panting hard. He was lucky there wasn’t anyone else on with him. A sob broke from him as he clutched himself with his arms trying to hold back the flood of emotions wanting out. He saw a sign that said a chapel was on the second floor and stopped the elevator to get off. He followed the signs and found a small, warm chapel not far from the elevator and stepped inside. There was a stained glassed window depicting Jesus as the Good Shepherd behind the altar and fresh flowers sitting on either side. Cushioned pews lined both sides and Sam stumbled to the front to sit on the first pew. He turned his tear stained face up to the window and stumbled over the words he wanted to say.

“Please help me...” he cried out to the emptiness. “You have to save him; don’t let him die. Can you hear me? Don’t let him die!” he hissed with such urgency and despair. “I’ve felt you over the years...I know you’re there...Save my brother please!” he begged doubling over and sliding to the floor in front of the altar. “I’m begging you, I can't live without him.” he whispered as his crumbled body lay at the altar. "If you have to take someone, take me, but let him live. Please, let him live...." he cried as his voice faltered away to wracked sobs. He let his head rest on his arm as he choked on the pain and despair coursing through him. It couldn't end this way, it just couldn't. He never even got a chance to know his brother. He didn’t know what his favorite food was, what kind of music he liked, what movies he watched or what made Dean, Dean. “Bring him back...” he choked out softly one last time before going silent but for his hitched breathing.

A/N: Another hard chapter to write. Will Sam’s prayers be answered? Thank you for your continued support and if you have a moment, a comment would be appreciated. NC


	43. Chapter 43

Dean stood at the end of a hospital bed and looked on as nurses and doctors worked on the body lying on the bed. He stepped a little closer and recognized the body as his own and stepped back in surprise. No one in the room acknowledged his present as he walked around them.

"Hello Dean." the angel said to him.

"Shit, what's goin' on here? Am I dead? Tell me am I?"

"I'm an angel of the Lord. My name is Castiel and no, you're not dead, yet, but you don't have much time left."

"Why can't they see me?"

"You're in between two realms waiting to crossover or return to your body."

"So I'm like a ghost?"

"In a matter of speaking yes." Castiel answered. "You have a choice to make. You can leave your body completely and you will die or you can return to your body and I will help heal you."

"Why should I stay here? I've lost all my family...I don't think I can go on anymore, it's...Too much." he said sadly loss and despair coursing through his voice. "I'm so tired...."

"Dean there are people that would sorely miss and mourn you if you die. Come, I will show you." he said opening the door for Dean to walk into the hallway. Dean looked at the two older men standing nervously outside his hospital door talking quietly among themselves. He could see the worried look on their faces as they kept looking back to his door waiting for someone to tell them any news. He could see the tears in both their eyes as they tried to give each other support.

"Both of these men have come to think of you as the son they never had. You have brought much happiness into their lives and to others. Remember the family you found in Grand Island? How you went out of your way to make Ollie feel wanted and Ally you gave your friendship. The others there would miss you too, Aunt Fay, Sarge, Preacher. Come there's another you need to see." he said gripping his shoulder gently and taking them to the chapel where Sam was kneeling at the altar praying. "Your brother needs you. Without you he will be lost. He came back as soon as he found out you were hurt. Don't let him grow up without having you in his life. You have touched so many in your life, some you are not even aware of, helping an elderly woman with her groceries, protecting another from bullies, offering a strong hand of support, a warm smile and so much more. Don‘t sell yourself short Dean, your life does have meaning."

"He has a family, a good life, what right do I have to take him away from that? He doesn't need a damaged brother messing that up."

"But that is not his true family, only a temporary one until you two found each other. I know you felt the healing when you first met. You two were meant to be together, you have a stronger bond that most siblings ever achieve in their lifetime. You have ever since he was born and I think you know if you were not meant to be together, you two would never have found each other. I know you have suffered much in your life Dean, but you have to stop blaming yourself for what you couldn't control. Forgive yourself and let the ones around you help. You don’t have to carry that burden alone now; don't be afraid to let yourself be loved. You are a good person Dean Winchester." he said cocking his head and studying him closely. "I'm not sure I understand, you don't think you deserve to be loved; you despise yourself that much for your actions? Dean you are wrong, grant yourself the love you so rightly deserve. You will see you are so important to so many, just let yourself see it and feel it. It's your decision whether you stay or go, a choice you need to make, what will it be?" 

Dean looked down at his sobbing brother and his heart ached to take him in his arms and tell him everything was going to be okay. He felt a twisting, gut wrenching stab of pain about causing everyone so much pain and sorrow with what he had done. Could he do it? Could he be a big brother again and bring them back together? It would have to be Sam's decision, after he told him; he wouldn't make him stay unless he really wanted to. Sam might think of him as a monster and want to be far, far away from him. Could he take that chance? Could he live with Sam's choice if he said no? Dean let all the questions storm around in his mind before giving his answer.

"Have you made a decision?" Castiel asked again. “There is not much time left.”

"Alright, I want to stay, my brother needs me." Dean told him casting one last glance at his brother before he was taken back to his room. "I will live with his choice be it yes or no."

spn

"Still nothing, let's call it." the doctor said sadly as everyone stepped back from Dean's lifeless body.

"Go now, return to your body." Castiel told him. “You will not remember me, but we will see each other again. Don't ever take your life for granted Dean Winchester, you have much to accomplish in this world.”

Dean went to his body and laid down on the bed letting his spirit be absorbed back into it. Castiel placed a hand over his heart and released his grace to start it beating and bring him back. He didn't heal him completely knowing the doctors wouldn't understand, but enough that he should wake up and be coherent. 

"Doctor! We have pulse!" one of the nurses cried out as the monitor started beeping when Dean’s heart started beating, growing stronger with each thump.

"Start the oxygen back, quick now." the doctor said as she checked his breathing that seemed to get stronger with each breathe. "I'd say this boy has a guardian angel watching over him. He’s back in sinus rhythm and his lungs have almost cleared.” he said after checking his lungs. "This is the closest to a miracle I've ever seen." she said shaking her in disbelief.

Dean drew in a deep breath and coughed hard several times before groaning and squinting as he tried to open his leaden eyes. Bright light caused him to stop before he could get them more than a slit open. He moved his head slightly, as he tried to wet his dry lips.

“Hello there young man, welcome back. How do you feel?” the doctor asked him after getting in his line of sight to get his attention. “You really gave us a fright there; I hope we won’t be having any more of those episodes okay?”

“S...Um...” he tried to say but couldn’t get the words to form that he wanted to say. He wanted to see if Sam was really there or if it was a dream he was having. He was sure he felt his present earlier touching his soul.

“Give him a couple chips of ice and let the family know he’s awake. I’m going to get this drainage tube out and then they can come back in. Nurse get me a tray please. Dean this may pinch as I take it out, but don't worry you'll feel much better once it's gone. While we're unhooking him, let's remove the catheter too.” 

spn

“Go to your brother.” Castiel whispered to the younger brother who looked around for the person who spoke. He didn’t see anyone else in the chapel but was sure he felt a present here and a soft whisper of wings that ruffled his hair slightly. 

Sam wiped his wet face and runny nose on his shirt sleeve and pulled himself from the floor. He looked up one more time at the stained glass window before turning to leave. He walked around the corner and pushed the button for the elevator hoping his prayers were answered. The doors opened and Joshua looked up to see Sam waiting to get on. His eyes were swollen and red from crying and he had mucus smeared across his cheek.

“I came looking for you to see if you were okay.” he said softly. “The doctor still hasn’t come out yet.”

“I need to get back to Dean.” Sam said stepping into the elevator and pressing the fourth floor. He stood back and waited for it to go up a floor and deliver him back to his brother. 

spn

The doors opened and Sam and Joshua stepped off heading down the hall for Dean’s room. Sam saw a nurse talking to Bobby and the other man who both started crying and his heart skipped a beat as his soul cried out in horror. Sam ran toward them and tried to get into the room but was stopped by the nurse.

“Let me go! I need to be in there!” he cried. “I need to be with him!”

“Sam, calm down son, Dean’s awake.” Bobby told him grabbing his shoulders to stop his fighting. “You hear me son? Your brother woke up and he’s better.” he continued getting in his face. “He woke up.” he said softly again moving his hands to cup his face. “He came back to us.” Bobby smiled down at him before embracing him in his strong, warm arms.

“I wanna see him.” Sam begged trying to get to the door.

“We gotta wait a few minutes, the doctor's taking out the drain tube and they're getting him comfortable. It won’t be much longer, okay kid?” 

“I guess.” Sam pouted fidgeting from one foot to the other wanting to see for himself that Dean was awake and okay. 

“That’s good to hear.” Joshua told them glad to have some good news about Dean. He squeezed Sam’s shoulders lovingly wanting him to know he was still there for him. Sam stood still for a moment allowing him to keep his gentle hold for a moment.

spn

Everyone looked up when the doctor stepped out of the room waiting to be told they could go in.

“Dean is doing much better now. I don’t know how to explain it, we thought we had lost him, but suddenly he was back with us and awake. Something caused him to start fighting, I don’t know what, but I’m glad he did. His lungs have almost cleared and he's asking for someone named Sam.”

“That’s me.” Sam said quickly pushing his way to the door and stepping inside the room. He stopped just inside the doorway looking at the bed and seeing his brother propped up slightly in the bed with his eyes closed. He only had the IV line and blood pressure cuff attached to him now and there was some color coming back into his cheeks. His breathing was more even and deeper letting his face seem more relaxed now. He didn’t look sick anymore which gave Sam hope and joy.

Dean seemed to sense the other presence in the room and turned his head opening his eyes halfway to see the blur of someone standing by the closed door. He knew without really seeing clearly that it was Sam. He was there, his brother was with him.

“S'my?” he croaked in a rough whispery voice.

“Hey Dee.” Sam said walking slowly to the bed. “I’m so glad you’re back.” he said trying to keep his bottom lip from trembling and the tears from dripping down his face.

After focusing on Sam’s face, Dean saw the single tear that tracked down his cheek and slid over a little in his bed holding out his arms to him. No words needed to pass between them to know what each was thinking. Without being asked, Sam crawled up on the bed and snuggled into his embrace laying his head on Dean’s chest to listen to his steady heartbeat. Dean tightened his grip around his brother knowing how right this felt. He cooed softly to him as Sam let a soft sob escape his lips as his warm tears dampened Dean’s hospital gown. The only sound in the room was Sam’s quiet sobs and Dean’s soft humming when the men looked in at the brothers. They decided to let them have this time together and not disturb them. They quietly walked back out and decided to check what the cafeteria had to eat, now that Dean was on the way to recovery, appetites had returned. 

spn

Dean ran his fingers through Sam’s long, shaggy hair as Sam’s sobs changed to sniffles and hiccups. He wiped his nose across Dean’s gown and curled as tight as he could get to him keeping a tight hold on his gown. Sam’s breathing evened out as his body relaxed into Dean’s and he dozed. He hoped they would have time to talk and Sam wouldn’t be taken away again before things were decided. He wanted to know Sam’s choice so he could start dealing with it whether it was yes or no. Dean’s eyelids were growing heavy as he listened to the nasally breathing of his brother and let it lull him to sleep but he kept a strong grip on Sam for fear he would be gone when he woke up. The brothers slept a dreamless sleep wrapped in each others arms thanks to their guardian angel that looked down on them one more time before returning to Heaven glad of the choice the older brother had made. 

A/N: I know everyone was waiting for this chapter, I hope it was to your liking. Will it last? How will Sam take what Dean has to tell him? I'm blown away with over 1500 hits. Much thanks to every one who left comments, they warm my heart. Comments are welcome. NC


	44. Chapter 44

Bobby, Hank and Joshua came back to the room and found the boys still asleep, tangled in each others arms. Neither was taking the chance of being separated by the solid grip they each had on the other. 

“Look, why don’t you two go get a room and get some rest, I’ll stay with them tonight.” Bobby said quietly. “Don’t think they should be left alone.” 

Hank knew what he was thinking but didn’t say anything regarding it since Joshua might not understand and he didn't want to cause any issues between any of them. 

“Sounds good, I’ll come over later and relieve you.” Hank told him giving an understanding nod. “Come on son, let’s go get some rest. Bobby’ll call us if anything changes.” 

“Are you sure?” he asked looking to the bed at Sam.

“He’ll be fine, no use disturbing them, let them sleep; I think they both need it.” Bobby assured him. "They both've been through a lot; rest is the best thing for them right now."

“Alright, here’s my cell number.” he said handing Bobby a scrap of paper.

“I’ll call if you’re needed.” 

Hank and Joshua left leaving Bobby to settle into the recliner after throwing a blanket over Sam’s sleeping form. He wiggled slightly and mumbled in his sleep but didn’t wake up. Dean shifted once and tightened his hold on his brother while mumbling his name. 

spn

Sam blinked several times and looked around at his surroundings knowing they seemed familiar. He sensed him before seeing him and turned to await his arrival. 

“Hey bro.” Dean smiled down at his brother.

“Dee I’m so glad you came back.” Sam smiled back before hugging him. “Is this your dream or mine?”

“Maybe a little of both.” he told him returning the hug. He could feel their souls connecting again and could feel Sam letting his energy flow into his soul making him stronger and brighter. He accepted his brother’s offering gracefully letting it fill that empty void he had had for the past twelve years. He had forgotten what it felt like to feel whole once again. It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders and he was free and able to breathe again.

“Tomorrow we need to talk.” Sam told him pulling back slightly to look up at him. 

“Okay, I need to tell you some things too.” Dean said. “Come on let’s walk and enjoy this place.”

“I’d like that.” Sam said as Dean slung an arm around his shoulder and led them along a path around the lake. He pointed out the swans swimming in the lake and the small rainbow that had formed in the mist of the falls at the end of the lake. He messed up Sam’s hair and laughed as Sam swatted his hand away fussing about his hair. They bantered and teased each other, feeling the rightness of the moment. This was their special place where no one could bother them or separate them, even if it was only in their minds, their link was so much stronger now. Sam could tell Dean was healing and could see his soul growing brighter every time they connected.

spn

Bobby jerked and reached for his gun when he heard someone step into the room and move toward him. He relaxed when he was able to focus on Hank who stood there with a cup of coffee in his hand. 

“Go on and get some rest.” he told him passing the room key to him. “Room 117, I left Joshua still sleeping.”

“What time is it?” Bobby mumbled sitting up in the chair and grunting as he got up stiff from the chair. 

“Almost four, woke up and decided to come on over and relieve you.” Hank told him. “I know why you don’t want to leave them alone.”

“Figured as much. I don’t think they would try it, but it’s better safe than sorry. You know how hard headed he can be and I wouldn't of put it past him to try it.” he said looking down at the two boys. Even though Dean was going to be eighteen soon, he still saw him as the boy helping Hank out at the bar. “I’ll be back in a few hours.” 

“I’ll be here.” he said taking Bobby’s place in the recliner sipping his coffee. He hoped things were going to settle down now and the boys could be together.

spn

Sam stirred first only because he needed to use the bathroom. He woke himself up to find that he was sleeping on his brother’s chest. Being careful not to wake Dean, he slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom but stopped when a snore caught his attention. He looked over and saw the man called Hank sleeping in the recliner by the bed. He went on in the bathroom and used it coming out to find Hank had woke up.

“Hello, don’t think we’ve been properly introduced, name’s Hank.” he said in a low voice. 

“Hi, I’m Sam, Dean’s brother.” he said sitting down in the chair near him. “How do you know my brother?” he asked curious about this man.

“Well, your brother just ‘bout gave me a heart attack when he popped out of a dumpster behind my bar.” Hank started smiling with the memory.

“What was he doing in there?” Sam asked easing closer to the man interested in knowing more about Dean.

“Seems he was living on the streets and he was looking for food.” Hank answered honestly not sure how much the boy knew about Dean's past. "Do you know about him being on the streets?"

“Yes, I know he lived on the streets.” Sam said wanting him to continue. "I just never thought about things like that or where he would sleep." Sam trailed off thinking about the homeless and how they survived.

“I shared my lunch with him and offered him a job in the bar cleaning and setting it up each day. He stayed in a studio above the bar. That boy...He became like the son I never had.” Hank said lovingly. “He stayed with me for a little over a year.”

Sam looked over at the bed and then back to Hank. “What was he like?”

“He was one tough cookie, didn’t let anyone take advantage of him. He was a hard worker and everyone liked him. But I knew my place was just a stop off that he would be moving on. He was searching for something and I'm pretty sure that was you.”

“How did he end up at Bobby’s?” 

“Maybe you should ask your brother about that.” Hank said not wanting to go down that road. 

“S’my?” Dean mumbled from the bed trying to get up for fear Sam was gone.

“I’m here Dee.” Sam said quickly getting up and going to his bedside. “You need to stay still.”

“Need to pee.” he grunted pushing his hand away to sit up. 

“Here son, let me help you there.” Hank said getting up to help Dean from the bed. 

Sam ran around and wheeled his IV with him as Dean wobbled to the bathroom. Dean grunted when his stitches pulled as he moved. Hank turned his back and pushed Sam back out so Dean could have a little privacy as he did his business. Dean washed his hands and looked at his reflection in the mirror seeing how pale he looked and the how the darkness under his eyes stood out. Dean splashed some water on his face and wiped it before accepting Hank’s help back to bed. Sam was by his side being sure nothing happened to him. Once he was settled back in bed, Sam sat down beside him giving him a once over.

“How are you feeling?” Sam asked him seeing he was paler today than last night. 

“I’m fine.” Dean told him trying to hide the slight pain he was feeling from him. 

“Dee, you can’t lie to me.” Sam said softly knowing he was.

Dean frowned and looked at his brother's bitch face waiting for him to tell the truth.

“I have a little pain, okay?” he confessed.

“Hank think Dee can have something for pain?”

“I’ll go check with the nurse.” Hank told them getting up and heading out to check.

spn

“Good morning, ready for breakfast?” an orderly asked as he brought a breakfast tray in for Dean.

“Thanks.” Sam told him seeing that Dean wasn’t going to answer.

“I’ll pick this up later and there’s a menu for you to fill out for lunch and dinner.” he said before leaving.

Sam pushed the stand over so Dean could reach it and uncovered his food. There was milk, juice, applesauce, scrambled eggs and oatmeal. 

“Not really hungry Sammy.” Dean told him as his stomach rolled from the smell.

“You have to eat something Dee. How ‘bout some applesauce?” he insisted opening it and putting a spoon in it for him.

Dean looked into Sam's face and his begging puppy dog eyes and drew in a deep breath before accepting the sauce. He was finding it hard to say no to him when he gave him that look. He took a small bite and fought to swallow it. Sam pushed the juice toward him after sticking a straw in it. He was acting like a mother hen with Dean, fussing about everything which made Dean uncomfortable since he had not really had this type of devotion before.

“You eat the oatmeal.” he told Sam. “If I have to eat this crap so do you.” he teased forcing another spoon full down.

“No, you need to eat all you can to get stronger so you can get out of here.” 

“Sammy, I’ll try a little egg, but I don’t want it or the milk.” he insisted pushing it toward him. "Don't think my stomach can take it right now."

“On one condition, you have at least eat one spoon of it and I’ll eat the rest.” he said holding the bowl for him. 

“Alright.” he said taking a spoon of the oatmeal and eating it wrinkling his nose at the bland taste.

Sam giggled and took the packet of sugar to pour over it. He stirred it and sampled it before eating it.

“It’s not that bad.”

“Yeah, after ya doctored it with sugar.” Dean complained. “I didn’t even get a coffee.”

“Mr. Singer, your friend said you were in some pain?” a nurse asked after she came into the room.

“A little.” he told her watching her check his vitals and IV.

“The doctor said you could have some pain meds as needed. I’ll be right back with them.” she told him. 

“Thanks. Could I get some ginger ale?” he asked her. He sipped some juice letting the sauce settle in his stomach before deciding if he could handle a bite of egg or not. 

“Of course, I’ll bring some back with the pain meds.” she told him heading back out.

"Why did the nurse call you Mr. Singer?" Sam asked when he realized she was talking to Dean.

"Guess Bobby signed me in under his name." Dean shrugged. "Not the first time." 

"Oh, okay." Sam said accepting the answer but puzzled about it. He would ask him about it later.

spn

Hank strolled back in carrying a cup of coffee and was happy to see both boys eating something. He sat back down in the recliner and focused on the TV that Dean turned on. Dean flipped through the channels until Sam complained to him to leave it on a station long enough to see what was playing. Dean punched him lightly on in the arm and told him he was the sick one so deal with it. 

“Jerk.” Sam muttered under his breath.

“I heard that bitch.” Dean said just loud enough for Sam to hear a hint of mischief in his voice. Both boys smiled at the private joke passing between them as they settle down beside each other on the bed to watch a movie.

A/N: Dean is healing and Sam is being a mother hen. Thank you for the continued support with this story. Do welcome your comments and your thoughts. NC


	45. Chapter 45

Bobby heard giggling coming from the room as he opened the door to find Sam sitting beside Dean watching something on the tube. He had to admit it was good to see his boy awake and looking much better than last night. 

"You're looking better son." 

"Yeah, when can I get out of here?" Dean asked. "You wanna check me out of this place?"

"Hold yer horses there son. You just woke up last night, you might wanna let yerself heal a little 'fore you go stormin' out of here." Bobby informed him.

"He's right Dean." Hank agreed. 

"I feel fine." Dean insisted giving Sam a dirty look daring him to contradict him.

Sam shot him back a bitch face letting him know he wasn't about to let him leave the hospital yet and get over it. Before Sam could add his opinion, Bobby settled the debate.

"We'll just see what the doctor says first." Bobby told him in a tone Dean knew better than to argue with.

Joshua stood to the side watching and listening to the conservation around him. He could see and hear the love in the two older men's voices for Dean. He watched Sam fit right in with them and knew this was were he belonged, with his brother. He could see the bond between them already growing the more they were together. He could see the happiness and love on Dean's face every time he looked at Sam and the same with Sam. 

"You ate yet Hank?" Bobby asked.

"No I was waiting on you two, should we go see what they have?" he asked getting up.

"Wanna come Sam?" Joshua asked.

"Can Sammy stay here for a bit, I'd like to talk to him alone, if that's okay?" Dean asked knowing he needed to get this over with and find out what Sam wanted to do. There was no use putting it off, once he got his answer, he could move on.

"I ate some of Dean's breakfast, but could you bring me back a banana or apple?" he asked Joshua getting a sense Dean was finally ready to talk.

"Sure son. Dean would you like something?" Joshua asked him.

"If they have jell-o, red or orange, no green." 

"Alright, I'll see what they have." he told the boys leaving them to talk.

spn

Dean looked down at his hands watching his fingers fold the sheet into a fan trying to decide how to start and really what to say. Sam could feel his uneasiness and scooted closer sitting cross legged on the bed at his hip. 

"Dee what is it?" he asked quietly. "Talk to me please, I'm your brother, you can tell me anything." 

"I need to tell you some things about my past. And after you hear them, if you wanna leave, I'll understand. I want this to be your choice Sammy and I want you to weight all the aspects." he said not looking up from his twitching fingers and back down. 

"Dean, there's not anything you can say to me that will make me want to leave you." Sam told him gripping his hand in his. "Nothing, so quit thinking like that."

"You might wanna wait 'til ya hear what I have to say." he said finally raising his eyes to look at Sam.

Sam sat quietly holding Dean's hand, waiting for him to talk. He didn't know what Dean thought could be so bad that he would think he would leave him. 

"After you were adopted, I didn't know what to do. I felt so alone and riddled with guilt that I let it happen. I was suppose to protect you, keep you safe. That was the last thing Dad told me to do." Dean said as his voice caught and tears sprang to his eyes. He quickly blinked them away and swallowed down the lump in his throat so he could go on.

"Dee, you were what five? How could you have stopped it, that wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could of done." Sam said softly. "What happened to you after I was adopted?"

"I was put in a foster home. It wasn't a nice place; he was only in it for the money." Dean started. "It was like I was his slave. When he got pissed or drunk, he'd take it out on me with a belt. I learned to stay out of his way as much as possible, but then he brought another boy in, he was a little younger than me. I tried to keep him safe, took his beatings if I could. One day he went too far. He threw Billy down the stairs and broke my arm. He locked us in a basement room without food or water. I tried to protect Billy but I couldn't. His injuries were too severe and he died in my arms." Dean paused and looked away to swipe the tears that tracked down his cheeks.

Sam could see the sorrow and anguish in his brother's face and his heart ached for him. He knew about child abuse from the news and reading about it in the paper and online. He didn't say anything wanting to let Dean go at his own pace. He wasn't going to tell him about the article online he had found, he would let Dean tell his story.

"After I was released from the hospital, I was taken back to the orphanage for a while before being put with another foster family. They were great and I loved it there but they were killed in a car accident about two years after they took me in. So I was moved to a group home for a while and then another foster family. I thought this one was going to be okay too, but it didn't turn out so good." Dean stopped and got his courage up before continuing. "I was left alone with him one weekend, we were suppose to go fishing to bond." he sneered madly. "He...He attacked me and did bad things. That night...Something inside of me broke...I started a fire in the garage where he was passed out drunk. I killed him Sammy." he whispered painfully looking up into Sam's tear stained face. "I swore I'd never let him or anyone else hurt me like that ever again. I ran away, I wasn't taking another chance...I decided living on the streets was better than that." he said drawing in a deep breath. "You know about Aunt Fay and Hank already and then you found me and was taken away again. I lost it Sammy, it was too much. My demons haunted me and the only way out I could see was...I tried to kill myself." he told him letting out a deep breath before continuing. "So if you wanna leave, that's okay, I wouldn't blame you. I'm not the brother that I was before, I'm damaged...Maybe beyond repair."

"Stop it!" Sam hissed at him gripping his arm hard. "Why would I want to leave you? What you did was self defense Dean. It doesn't make me love you any less, nor does it drive me away. I want you in my life and I wanna be in yours Dee. It does help me to understand some of the times we connected over the years, I just wish I had known who you were sooner, I would of started looking for you too. You're my big brother and I love you unconditionally and I wanna stay with you." he said throwing his arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. "I don't want you to ever do something that senseless again, you understand me? You have me now, I'll help you fight those demons and keep them at bay. Promise me, if you ever feel like harming yourself again, you come to me. I may be your little brother, but I'm strong and I'll do anything for you. I can be strong for the both of us." 

Dean lay there at first, letting it sink in what Sam had said. He could feel the warm tears hitting his neck as Sam silently cried. After a minute, he wrapped his arms around his brother and allowed himself to release the pain and suffering he had endured. His tears ran out of the corner of his eyes blending in with Sam's as they hit the pillow. He drew in a shaky breath as a flood of relief sweep over him hearing his brother say he wanted to stay even after hearing what he did. 

"Promise me Dee!" Sam said again when he didn't answer him. "You have too much to live for." he told him looking up into his face. "You have me now."

"I promise S'mmy." Dean finally got out as his voice cracked.

Sam sat back and wiped his face before speaking. "Now I need to talk to you." he started, drawing in a deep breath. "I have filed the paperwork to be emancipated from my adopted parents. I will need to go back when I have the appointment with the judge to see what he decides and I'm changing my name back to Sam Winchester."

"Wait...What?" Dean questioned trying to understand what he was saying his brain still a little sluggish after all he had been through.

"I'm trying to get the court to see me as an adult and allow me to make my own choices. I want to come and live with you and Bobby." Sam explained. "When you turn eighteen you can become my guardian, until then I hope Bobby will, but I haven't asked him yet and well I haven't asked him about staying with him either. You think he'll say yes?"

"I know he will say yes." Dean said smiling at the thought of having Sam live with them. "But what about your adopted parents? Can't they, I don't know, stop you or something?" 

"Not if they ever want to see me again. I've given the judge enough proof I can live on my own if I wanted to, I don't see how they can stop it. I think Joshua will be okay with it, Emily won't be happy, but they do have their own son to raise." Sam said looking up as the men filed back into the room. He stopped talking and looked at Dean to see what he would do.

"Here you go, I got a banana and apple and for you jell-o and a pudding." Joshua said sitting the items on the table for them.

"Thanks." Sam said.

"Thank you sir." Dean added deciding he would talk to Bobby alone about Sammy and see if he would agree to him living with them. If not, he would look for a place and find a job, whatever it took for them to be together, he was going to do it.

"Please call me Josh, no use being formal around here." Joshua replied.

"Sammy, why don't you let Josh take you back to the motel and get a shower and clean clothes? Maybe you can bring me a milkshake back?" he asked hoping that doing something for him would make him decide to go. 

Sam looked at Dean for a moment before answering, "Okay, I could use a hot shower, I guess. What flavor would you like?"

"Make it chocolate, no wait, how about strawberry?" he decided.

"Alright, we won't be gone long okay?" he asked getting serious in his tone. "You'll be here when we get back?"

"Like I can go anywhere?" Dean huffed holding up his arm with the IV and looking over at Bobby and Hank who would cuff him to the bed if they needed to without any hesitation.

Sam looked at Dean frowning and bit his lower lip and glanced at Bobby. You could tell he was thinking very hard about something. "You have to swear you won't leave." Sam finally said giving Dean his best don't lie to me look. "I don't think an IV would keep you from leaving if you really wanted to go."

"Alright, I swear I'll be here when you get back." Dean pouted not believing Sam could already read him so well in such a short time. 

"Make sure he stays." Sam told Bobby in passing. "If you change your mind on the milk shake call Josh, I'm sure Bobby or Hank has his number."

"Smart ass." Dean muttered shifting around in the bed waiting for him to leave. 

"You're one to talk and you just keep that skinny one of yours planted in that bed." Bobby growled at Dean seeing that look on his face.

"Awe Bobby I wanted to try and walk a little." Dean whined. "The sooner I'm stronger, the sooner I'm out of here."

"Alright but just in the room for the moment to see how you do." the older man insisted. 

"You better listen to him son." Hank added. "You don't wanna get on his wrong side."

"He has a right side?" Dean asked innocently to receive a love tap from Bobby on the back of his head.

"Ow! Hey, no fair abusing the disabled here." he complained as he let Bobby help him stand by the bed. Hank had moved the IV stand where Dean could hold onto it for support.

"Take it easy now." Bobby cautioned.

"Well good morning to you, seems like you're feeling better." the doctor said seeing Dean standing by the bed.

"Getting there doc." Dean said trying to stand straight without grimacing.

"Good. Now why don't you sit on the edge of your bed and let me check your incision?" she suggested.

Bobby and Hank stepped out of the way as the doctor listened to Dean's breathing and checked his eyes, then lifted his gown to pull back the gauze and inspect the stitches. 

"I have to say young man, you heal fast. I'd like to keep you in the hospital one more day to let you get a little strength back and see how you do on solid foods. As long as your temperature stays down and there's no infection, we'll look at releasing you tomorrow afternoon. How's that sound?"

"So can I walk around, like down the hall?"

"Just be sure you don't over do it okay? And not by yourself."

"Alright."

"Thanks doc that's good news." Bobby said shaking the doctor's hand before she left. 

"You heard the doc, let's take a stroll." Dean stated looking around for some shoes.

"Hold on." Hank said opening the small closet by the bathroom and getting out a pair of slippers Bobby had brought for him. "And you might wanna retie your gown, unless you enjoy mooning the other patients and nurses." 

"Shit!" Dean fussed jerking the gown closed in the back. "Little help here." he insisted seeing he couldn't tie it in the back by himself. "Why do they make these things so...So...Airy?" he complained waiting for Bobby to fix the gown.

"So people like you can complain about it." 

"Funny, now let's take a stroll old man."

A/N: It's out in the open now between the brothers and Sam of course wants to stay with his brother. Hope you enjoyed the brotherly moments here. Your comments are welcome. NC


	46. Chapter 46

Dean rounded the corner of the circle he had been walking with Bobby right beside him ready to lend support if need be. He could feel the stitches pull annoyingly with every step but was determined to make it the whole way around. Dean clenched his jaw as he moved wrong sending pain across his stomach for a moment making him suck in a quick breath. He let it out slowly as the pain subsided and he continued walking with careful steps.

"Bobby, can I ask you somethin'?" Dean asked cautiously.

"Sure son." he answered glancing at him wondering what he wanted.

Dean bit his lower lip and took a deep breath before answering.

"Can Sam come live with us?" he blurred out in one quick breath. 

"Well sure son, but what about his parents? They might have something to say about that." he asked carefully.

"Sam's petitioning for emancipation." Dean tried to explain. "If that's a problem, I can find us a place to live and get a job. I know you didn't sign up for this when you took me in and I don't wanna cause any problems."

"Dean, you two make a complete set, why wouldn't I want yer brother too? It's not like I gotta potty train him or anything. He seems like one smart kid." 

"Thanks Bobby." Dean replied a big smile spreading across his face. He stood taller and moved a little faster now knowing they had a place to stay for as long as they needed it. 

"Has Sam talked to Josh about this?"

"I don't know, he didn't say." Dean said pausing at his door.

"Why don't you rest a bit and then walk again." Bobby suggested seeing a slight pinched look on Dean's face.

"Okay, but I wanna go again maybe in a hour." he said stepping into the room.

"So, how'd you do?" Hank asked seeing them back.

"Good." Dean said frowning as he sat on the bed and tried to slide back. He bit his lip to keep from moaning and gasped slightly after finally getting settled.

"He telling the truth?" Hank asked Bobby seeing the pained look on Dean's face and the sweat that popped up on his forehead.

"Yeah, he did pretty good for the first time, but he‘s gonna have to not push so hard." Bobby replied passing Dean some ice water to sip on.

They both watched the boy sip the water and lean his head back closing his eyes as he started to relax. It wasn’t long before they could tell he had dozed off. Hank gently removed the cup of water and sat it back on the table.

spn

Joshua let Sam into the motel room Hank had gotten and took a seat at the table. He watched Sam go through his bag getting out clean clothes and his bathroom bag.

“I won’t be long, I wanna get back to Dee.” he told Joshua. 

“Sam you know your Mom and I love you very much don’t you?” he asked.

“Yes, I love you too, but I hope you understand now that I know I have a brother he comes first for me.” he said before going into the bathroom and closing the door.

spn

Joshua took out his phone and called Emily to let her know what was going on and to prepare her for Sam leaving. He knew she was not going to take it well, but there was no way he was going to keep Sam from his brother. He could see the special bond that the brothers had. He was even a little jealous; his brother and him spoke only a couple times a year and had never been close. It would be cruel to force Sam to remain apart from his brother. He got voice mail and left a brief message they were okay and Sam’s brother was awake and he would call her later. He looked up when Sam came out of the bathroom towel drying his hair. 

“I just need to check my email and then we can go.” he told Joshua. Sam pulled his laptop from his bag and brought it up. He waited for his email to come up and checked to see if he had anything from the court. He smiled happily to see a date was set in five days so that gave him a little time with his brother before he had to go back.

“Everything okay?” Joshua asked.

“Yes, I might as well tell you, you’ll be getting a summons anyway.” Sam said looking up from his laptop. “I have petitioned the court for emancipation so I can come live with Dean. Before you say anything, I have presented enough evidence that I should be granted it.” 

Joshua looked at Sam and sighed softly. “I always knew you were way too smart, but I’m not surprised Sam. I see what you have with your brother and even though I will miss you very much; I won’t object to it." 

“Thank you for understanding, it means a lot to me. What about Emily? I know she doesn’t feel the same way, but I won’t let her stop me.”

“I’ll deal with your mother, but can you promise me you’ll visit and keep in touch?”

“You know I will, I promised Danny I would keep in touch with him.”

“So you talked to Danny already?”

“Well he caught me packing up some boxes to ship to Bobby’s and asked questions. I couldn’t lie to him.”

“Thank you for being honest with him.” 

“Can we go back now? I need to stop and get Dee a milk shake too.”

“You know I think I could enjoy a milk shake too.” he said smiling and giving Sam a hug as they headed out of the room to the rental car. He was actually proud of his son for what he was doing. 

spn

Sam walked into the room to find an empty hospital bed and no big brother. He looked frantically around wondering what had happened. Dean had sworn that he wouldn't leave and he didn't think he would break that.

"Where's Dean?" he asked as panic edged into his voice. "He wouldn't leave would he?"

"Calm down Sam, I'm sure he's here somewhere. Maybe they had a test or something he had to do."

They turned toward the door as Hank pushed it open to allow Dean to walk in followed by Bobby. Relief washed over Sam and he grabbed Dean in a hug making the older brother grimace slightly and bit his lower lip.

"Easy son, Dean's still healing." Bobby cautioned him.

"I thought something had happened to you." Sam cried looking up into his face.

"Easy there bro, just walking so I can get out of here. I promised you and I don't break my promises." Dean told him trying to ease his mind.

"We got you a milkshake." Sam said pulling a cup from a holder and holding it for him until he was situated in bed.

"Sounds good."

"Picked up a couple cups of coffee for you guys." Joshua told Bobby and Hank. "I wasn't sure how you took it so I brought some creamer and sugar."

"Black's fine, hate to ruin a good cup of coffee with that crap." Bobby replied accepting the cup. "Thanks."

"Thanks young man what do I owe you?" Hank asked reaching into his pocket for money.

"Nothing, on me, you paid for the room it's the least I could do and dinner is on me tonight." Joshua said settling into a chair where he could see the TV.

"That's mighty kind of you." Bobby remarked sipping the coffee.

Sam crawled up on the bed with Dean and made himself comfortable beside him. Dean gave him a small grin and began to drink his shake. He found an old movie on the tube and everyone settled down to watch. An hour into the movie Dean decided it was time for another stroll around the hall. Sam quickly got up and helped him with his IV stand deciding to go with him.

spn

"So I talked to Bobby." Dean said to Sam once they were out of the room. "He said it was fine for you to come and stay with us, but Sam do you really think your adopted parents would ever agree to something like that?"

"I spoke to Josh when we were at the motel; he's not going to stop me. He will have to make Emily understand, but she's not going to stop me either. I've got the appointment with the judge in five days, so we have a few days before I need to leave." Sam explained. "But don't worry, I will be coming back, you gotta believe that." he insisted.

Dean didn't say anything as they continued to walk down the hall. He wanted to believe Sam, but he was afraid to get his hopes up to have them dashed to the ground and broken around him once again. So much negative had happened in his life, it was hard for him to see that the good was there too. 

Sam could sense his uncertainty after all that had happened to him and he didn't blame him. He thought hard on how to convince him that things were going to work out for them. 

"Why don't you come back with me?" he asked out of the blue.

"What?" Dean questioned.

"Come back with me. It might be a good thing you know. The judge might want to talk to you too. You could meet Emily and Danny. But don't take offense if Emily is not very friendly, she just doesn't understand yet." 

"I don't know about that Sammy." Dean frowned not sure he wanted to do that.

"Hey maybe we could go back to Grand Island and see your friends?" Sam suggested. "Wouldn't you like to see them again?"

"Sure but meeting your adopted mom...She doesn't like me already."

"Yeah, but she's not met you. Besides I've already told her if she wants me in her life, she has to accept my decisions. It's not like I would be living with them forever anyway, I'm just leaving a little sooner than expected."

"Let's see how I feel when I get out of here which is going to be tomorrow, one way or the other." he decided.

"You know you are a jackass like Bobby said." Sam said honestly. 

Dean looked at him and tried to laugh only to find it hurt.

"Don't make me laugh." he groaned holding his stomach as he chuckled. "Crap." 

"Come on Dee; let's go back to the room." Sam fussed rolling his eyes and giving a bitch face that was getting better each time he did it. 

"Bitch." Dean grumbled.

"Jerk." Sam shot back under his breath where only Dean heard him.

A/N: Any comments are welcome and thank you for all the support for this story. There is a sequel that I will be posting once this one is done. It continues the lives of the brothers with some unexpected plots unraveling. NC


	47. Chapter 47

"I'll bring the Impala around to the entrance." Bobby told them as the nurse was finishing up the discharge paperwork for Dean.

"We'll meet you out front." Hank said waiting for Dean to come out of the bathroom. The nurse had brought a wheelchair for him and Sam was ready to wheel him out. 

"Bobby said there's a motel only a few miles from his place you can get a room." Sam told Joshua. He didn't think Josh would understand Bobby's decor. He was still not sure about it himself since Dean didn't get the chance to talk to him before he was taken away by the cops. "I asked Dean to come back with us. I want him to meet Emily and Danny. We're family, is it okay? I guess I should of asked before asking Dean." 

"Sure Sam, it's really not a bad idea. It might help Emily to accept this if she actually meets Dean." Joshua agreed. "I assume you're staying with Dean?" he asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes, we really didn't get to talk last time before the cops took me and there's some things we need to talk about." 

"That's fine, you need to spend some time with him, get to know him. I'll be fine at the motel; I can catch up on some work."

"We'll pick you up for lunch tomorrow if that's okay?"

"Of course." Josh smiled at Sam happy he was including him.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road!" Dean said coming from the bathroom dressed in jeans and tee shirt.

"Here you go." Sam said pushing the wheelchair a little closer.

"Don't need that, I can walk."

"Sorry son, hospital rules, you gotta leave in one." Hank told him motioning to the chair.

"Damn hospital rules stink." Dean grumbled as he slouched into the chair pouting allowing a smirking Sam to push him out of the room. 

spn

"Joshua is going to get a room at the motel and do some work. I told him we'd pick him up for lunch tomorrow." Sam said. "I thought maybe if you felt like it we could talk this afternoon."

"Sounds good to me." he said leaning back against the back seat to rest on the ride home. 

"We'll show Josh where the motel is and head on home. He has my number if he needs anything." Bobby said pulling around the driveway and into the parking lot so Josh could follow them. Bobby and Hank didn't think he would understand all the supernatural books and items in his house. It wasn't something they could exactly explain away as a hobby or anything. It was bad enough Dean was going to have to tell Sam about all things supernatural and what they did; they didn't want to cause problems between Josh and Dean.

Sam watched out the window while keeping an eye on his brother. He knew he was better but he was still worried about him. He wanted to know where his mind was and that he didn't have any more thoughts of harming himself. That was one of the big reasons Sam wanted Dean to come with him, he was afraid to leave him again even if Dean knew he was coming back. It haunted his thoughts that Dean had done what he did because he was taken away again and had not been able to stop it. Sam looked as his still form watching his chest rise and fall with each breath. He did not ever want to feel that hopelessness or such despair as he had when Dean had almost died in the hospital. He was going to do whatever it took for them to stay together, whatever it took. Sam took Dean's coat and laid it across his chest for warmth when he felt his hand and it seemed cold. He took Dean's hands in between his two to help warm them. Dean only moved slightly and turned toward him as if seeking out his warmth. Bobby and Hank glance in the back and smiled to themselves seeing the younger mothering over the older one.

spn

“Why don’t you go lay down for an hour or so and rest Dee? I’ll come up with a snack for you and wake you.” Sam suggested as they walked into Bobby’s house.

“Am a little tired.” he mumbled trooping to the stairs to slowly make his way up them. 

“You'll probably feel better after a nap.” Sam told him again sitting his bag by the stairs.

Bobby and Hank headed for the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Bobby got a pot started and pulled two cups from the cabinet sitting them on the counter. Sam wandered into the kitchen watching the two older men.

“Want something to drink kid? I’m sure there’s something in the fridge.”

“I’m good. Bobby, did you take a folder from my pack when we met?” he asked giving him a curious look.

“Yeah I did kid, but only because I didn’t think you should read it.” Bobby told him. “I didn’t think your brother would want you to either.” 

“Dean told me what happened in his foster homes.” Sam told him. “I just wondered if you knew. I want Dean to come back with me and meet Emily and Danny. I have a court date in four days and I think it would be good that Dean be there in case the judge wants to ask him any questions.”

“Did Dean agree with this?” Bobby asked knowing how Dean was with strangers. 

“Yeah, after a little begging.” Sam answered. “My brother can be hardheaded at times.” 

“Don’t I know it; I‘ve dealt with it for nearly four years.” Bobby said pouring coffee into two cups.

“I know Dean is going to talk to me, but think you can start?” Sam asked Bobby. “What was that in the cemetery and why were you digging up a grave?” 

Bobby settled into a chair at the table and looked across it at Sam. He knew Dean was going to talk to him, but he decided it wouldn’t hurt to tell him a few things.

“That was a vengeful spirit and we had to salt and burn his bones to stop him from killing innocent people.” he explained. "But sometimes it's not that easy, if the person was cremated, then it could be an object that has them anchored here and that would need to be destroyed."

“So ghosts are real. Do they all stay here on earth for some reason?”

“No, most move on but some stay for different reasons; wrongful death, revenge, unfinished business, could be anything. They can manifest into solid beings when they want and are really strong as you saw.”

“Interesting, do you have some books on these things I can read?” 

“Take your pick son, there’s something on about everything in there.”

“Everything?” Sam questioned. “What else is real?”

“Why don’t you let your brother tell you and if you have questions come to me.” 

“Alright, thanks. I think I will check out a few of your books.” 

spn

Dean felt like all his energy was zapped as he eased himself on his bed, stretching out and trying to relax. He was healing, but still didn't have his strength back yet. It didn't take him long before he drifted off to sleep. 

He didn't hear the soft ruffle of wings as the angel appeared by his bed. He looked down at the sleeping young man that was in his charge and laid a hand on his forehead. He allowed his grace to flow into Dean completely healing his body. He could tell Dean relax more now and was resting easier. With one final look at Dean, he vanished from the room.

spn

After Sam disappeared into the living room, Hank spoke up.

“He seems like a smart kid. What’s this about going to see a judge?” 

“The kid wants to live with his brother, so he petitioned for emancipation from his adopted parents.” Bobby explained. “If it happens, he’ll be living here with us.”

“So that kid knows about something like that?” 

“Yeah, shocked me too. Josh said he was almost through high school and had already gotten some offers from colleges.”

“I’m impressed.” 

“Me too.” 

“Bobby is it okay if I update your computer system? You’d run a lot faster.” Sam asked from the doorway.

“Sure kid, I guess, just don‘t go delete anything.”

“Thanks, it won’t take me long.” 

“Like I said, I’m impressed.” Hank said. “I plan on heading back home tomorrow as long as Dean’s doing okay.” 

“Thanks for coming.”

“Anything for our boy you know that. You’ll let me know how things work out.”

“That I will.” Bobby said getting up. “Think I’ll go supervise Einstein in there, make sure he don’t get into something he shouldn’t.” 

“Want me to see what you have for dinner or should I run out and get something?” Hank asked wanting to be helpful.

“Why don’t we do take out tonight, I think we’re all worn out.”

“Let me know when you want me to go pick something up.”

“Probably a couple of hours, go relax, I get a couple of channels on the tube out there if you wanna see what’s on.” 

“Sounds good.” Hank told Bobby following him into the living room.

 

A/N: Comments are welcome. NC


	48. Chapter 48

Bobby helped Sam fix Dean a snack and he was taking it upstairs to him. They had let Dean sleep for nearly two hours knowing he needed to rest. Sam pushed the door open carefully looking in before stepping in. Dean was still asleep on his bed, softly snoring as Sam moved on into the room. He sat the plate on the nightstand, along with a bottle of water.

"Dee, wake up." Sam said shaking his shoulder gently.

Dean jerked awake getting ready to throw a punch at Sam until he realized who he was. Sam went into a defensive posture ready to block the punch without even thinking about it. It was like he had always done it as something that came natural to him.

"S'ry S'mmy." he grunted and stretched realizing he felt much better than when he had laid down. He yawned widely and screwed his face up trying to wake up.

"I brought you a snack and some water." Sam said pointing to the plate and water and grimacing at Dean's facial expressions.

"Thanks bro." he said pushing himself back against the headboard and nodding for him to sit down on his bed.

Sam deposited himself at Dean's feet and sat cross legged watching him munch on some cheese and crackers and sip the water. He cleared his throat and settled a little more moving the pillows around to be more comfortable.

"I guess it's 'bout time we talked." Dean said eyeing Sam for a moment before looking back down at his water.

"Yes, I asked Bobby a few questions and he told me a little and I read some things on the internet, but I'm not sure what to believe and what not."

“Okay, what did he tell you?”

“He said what was in the cemetery was a vengeful spirit and to get rid of those, if possible, you salt and burn the bones.” 

“Right, but sometimes it’s not that easy. The spirit will try and stop you so you have to be ready with rock salt bullets or something iron.”

“So I looked at some of Bobby’s books. Vampires and werewolves are real, not sure exactly what a shape shifter is or wendigo and there are actual zombies?”

“Yep and yes vamps do drink blood, but the only way to be sure they’re dead is to cut their heads off and werewolves silver bullet to the heart. Shape shifter is someone who can shed his skin and become a different person, not a pretty site. Wendigo‘s, they use to be humans who for some reason consumed human flesh so much that it changed them into monsters. Yeah, zombies are the undead; bullet to the head will take them down.” 

“I think I’ve got a lot of reading to do.” Sam said slumping forward slightly processing the information trying to not let all this new knowledge turn his world upside down.

“And a lot of training too. Let me tell you Bobby’s one tough sob, but he knows what he’s doing. I’ll be right there being sure you’re doing it right, so don't worry about that. You'll be up to par in no time. I'll teach you how to shoot and use a knife too. Bobby can show you more of the research part we have to do. I'm sure you'll enjoy that.” Dean said biting his lower lip as he tried to decide whether to tell him any more. He didn't want to overload him or scare him with this knowledge.

“Dee, what happened to our Mom?” Sam asked carefully looking up at him with those eyes waiting for a response.

“From what I was able to figure out, I think she was killed by a demon.” he told him figuring there was no reason to lie to him.

“A demon?”

“Yeah, they’re from hell and possess people, very evil and bad. I don’t know much about them, but most can be exorcised and sent back to hell. They don’t like holy water and they can’t cross a line of salt if put in a doorway or window.” 

Sam propped his chin in his hand and thought about his Mom and the way she died. He began to mull over what he knew trying to make sense of it all. He didn't understand what was so special about his family that a demon from hell would take an interest in them. There were still so many unanswered questions for him.

Dean looked down at his brother seeing the far away look and could tell his mind was working in overdrive processing everything. He wished he had more answers for him, but he didn't. That didn't mean he was going to stop looking. What if their father was still alive out there somewhere and couldn't find them? Now that he knew about the supernatural, he wondered if something had gotten him or killed him and that was why he never came back. Until he knew for sure, there would always be that little seed of hope floating around in his mind that one day he would find them and they would be a family again.

"You okay bro?" Dean asked softly snapping Sam from his thoughts.

“Some day we have to kill that monster.” Sam said in a tone so grave Dean gave him a surprised look.

“We will Sammy.” he replied, but with a determination Sam understood. 

“How are you feeling?” Sam asked changing the subject.

“Better since I napped.”

“You do have more coloring now and seem more...I don't know, alert and aware.”

“Sammy are you really sure about me coming home with you? I don’t want to cause any problems for you.”

“Dean, I thought that was settled. I want you to come with me; we’ve got twelve years to catch up on. I wanna get to know you.” Sam told him sounding as sincere as he could. He was not leaving without him, no matter what excuse Dean tried to give him. Almost losing his brother had made him feel very protective. He felt Dean was still too vulnerable to be left alone. They both looked toward the door when Bobby called that dinner was ready.

“Come on, let’s go eat.” Dean told him pushing him over as he got off the bed.

“Hey!” Sam complained untangling himself so he could follow and punching him lightly in the arm. 

spn

"Well it looks like your appetite has improved." Bobby smirked watching Dean put away a second helping.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy, besides, you know hospital food sucks." Dean answered not bothering to swallow all his mouth full of food before talking letting some fall back on the plate.

"Gross, Dee." Sam complained.

"Really son, might wanna swallow some of that food." Hank chastised him.

"Sorry." Dean mumbled wiping his mouth before sipping his drink.

"Dee, I figure we need to leave by Wednesday to give us time to drive back for the appointment." Sam started wanting to get a plan in place. 

"Alright, I'll give my Baby a quick once over before we leave." 

"I figure with you and Josh driving th..."

"Whoa! Hold on! Don't no one drive my Baby but me." he fussed.

"Come on Dee, you can't drive the whole way even if we stop half way, you just got out of the hospital." Sam countered. "I know you say you're better, but you need to take it easy."

"I'm fine." he growled in defense.

"Hold on you two." Bobby intervened. "Why don't I ride out with you, I can drive and then you two can drive back, I'll fly." 

Both boys turned to look at him, each considering what he just said before either answered.

"Okay with me." Dean said with a shrug. Bobby was the only one he would trust driving the Impala.

"Fine, good we'll tell Josh when we pick him up for lunch tomorrow so he'll be ready." Sam conceded too.

spn

Josh was working on some reports on his laptop when his cell began to ring. He glanced at the caller id and saw it was Emily calling.

"Hello hon."

"Josh, we were just served papers for an emancipation hearing for Trevor." she cried out in a rush of words. "What's going on Josh?" she sobbed.

"Hey, hey slow down." he said trying to understand what she just said.

"Trevor's trying to be emancipated." 

"I know I was going to call later and talk to you about that." he told her with a sigh.

"You knew! You knew!" she gasped feeling betrayed.

"Em you need to calm down and listen to me." Josh said deciding this time she wasn't going to get her way.  
"I know you love Sam, not Trevor, you're gonna have to get use to calling him that. I can't in good conscious keep Sam from his brother. You didn't see the love they have for each other; their bond is so strong..." Josh paused thinking of his own brother. "If we really love him, we need to let him decide what he wants to do. You know he's more mature than most teens his age. Sam will not stop until he gets to be with his brother. If you want to have a chance of seeing him again, you need to come to terms with this."

"But Josh, he's our son." 

"He was our son for twelve years, now he's his own person who has a brother that needs him now."

"When are you coming home?" she whispered. 

"In the next day or so. Em, Sam asked his brother to come with us. He wants Dean to meet you and Danny."

"Oh." she replied softly. "He's not staying here is he?"

"I hope you have better manners than that by the time we get there." he told her sternly. "I've never seen you act like this before, it's not pretty."

"I can't help it, I don't want to lose him." she replied as her voice cracked.

"Would you have him never wanting to see us again or have him wanting to come to visit and stay in touch? If you keep pushing, that's what's going to happen. Do you want Danny to never see his brother again?" he asked. "You know you could look at it like we could be gaining another son. He does seem like a nice young man who would do anything for his brother. I really wish we had taken both of them when we adopted Sam." 

"Will you call when you are on your way?"

"Of course, Em just think about what I said." he said softly. "I'll talk to you later." Josh hung up his cell and rubbed his eyes deciding to walk down the street to get some dinner. He needed to clear his mind and let himself come to terms with all that was happening. He didn't want to lose touch with Sam; he was his son in every sense of the word and that was never gonna change. No matter what Emily said or did, he would let Sam know he was there for him and supported his decisions.


	49. Chapter 49

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A treat for my readers, since the last chapter was short I decided to post another one today. Hope you enjoy. Any comments are welcome NC

Chapter 49

Sam went to the motel door and knocked, waiting patiently for Joshua to answer. They were taking him out to lunch and letting him know their plans, well Sam's plan really. He had already mapped out the best route to get them there and places to stop for meals and gas. Dean was impressed with his eye for detail and thought he would make a good apprentice for Bobby learning how to research the supernatural. 

"Sam!" Josh smiled down at his son. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine, are you ready? Dean picked out the restaurant we’re going to, said the food was really good.”

“Let me get my jacket and I’ll be ready.” he said ducking back inside the room to grab his jacket before following Sam out to the Impala. “Dean good to see you’re looking much better.”

“Thanks, feel a lot better too.”

“So where’s this place we’re going to have lunch at?” 

“It’s on the other side of town, little hole in the wall but they have the best cheeseburgers you have ever tasted and home fries and milk shakes in the town.” he replied waiting for Sam and Josh to get in the car before pulling away from motel. He saw Sam wrinkle his nose and smirked. “Don’t worry Sammy they have rabbit food too.”

“It’s not rabbit food jerk.” he shot back.

“Bitch.” Dean spat, a mischief twinkle in his eyes.

Josh leaned forward getting ready to defend his son when he saw the look on Sam’s face and turned and saw the same on Dean’s. Without any other words the boys communicated their private joke that only they understood. He sat back relaxing, realizing just how special a connection they really had. No way would he try to keep these two apart, it wouldn’t be fair to either boy to make them suffer un-needlessly. They had been apart long enough, it was now their time to be together.

“We’re going to be driving back Josh so on the way out you can drop your car at the rental company.” Sam told him from the passenger seat. “Bobby’s coming with us to help drive.”

“I’d be happy to take a turn.”

“No offense Josh, but I don’t let anyone drive my Baby, Bobby’s the only other person who ever has.” Dean told him glancing in the rear view mirror.

“None taken Dean, I can see how much you love this car.” he replied. “Where did you get it?”

“It was our Dad’s.” he said going quiet for the rest of the way to the restaurant. 

Neither Sam nor Josh said anything, respecting Dean’s silence and knowing he was thinking about his and Sam's Dad. Josh didn’t know anything about their father and wasn’t going to intrude by asking. From what Sam had said, he thought he was dead. What father wouldn't fight to get back to his sons? If he was still alive and hadn’t come back for them by now, he didn’t deserve them. Josh wasn't going to make any rash conclusions since he didn't know the full story. He just hoped the two brothers didn’t have any more tragedy in their lives.

spn

“I have to say Dean, you were right, the food was outstanding and to look at the place you’d never guess it.” Joshua commented as they walked out of the restaurant.

“Can I pick them or what?” Dean beamed stopping to let the sunlight bathe his face with warmth. 

“Is there a bookstore around here?” Sam asked looking around.

“Yeah, guess ya wanna go by it?” Dean concluded looking down at his brother.

“Yes, I’d like to get something to read for the trip.” he shrugged.

“Okay, c’mon it’s not far.” he told him heading for the car. “Maybe I’ll get a magazine or something.” 

“Sure, why not? That okay Josh?”

“Yes, maybe I can find something too. I saw Baldacci had a new book out I’d like to read.” he smiled happy Sam had asked him and was not shutting him out.

“I wanna start studying Latin, so maybe I’ll get something on that.”

“Really? Can you be any more geeky there bro?” Dean asked actually glad Bobby was going to have someone else that could help do the research. He much preferred the physical aspect of hunting to sitting with a book and reading all day. 

“I like to read, what’s wrong with that?” Sam questioned.

“Nothing, but being outside elbow deep in an engine, now that’s more my cup of tea.” Dean answered. “Wanna go for a run when we get back?”

“That would be great, are you sure you’re up for it?”

“Yeah, I usually run like four or five miles every morning before breakfast.”

“Nice, I was on the track team in school.”

“Me too and I played baseball for a while.”

“Soccer was more my thing.” 

“He was a good player too.” Josh added. “Went to all the games I could.”

“Okay.” Dean said not sure what else to say.

“We’ll drop you back by your motel and head on back to Bobby’s. I’ve got us set up to head out Wednesday morning. I’ll call when we head this way.”

“Sounds good to me. I talked to your Mo...Emily last night. Danny and her are doing okay and hope we’ll be home soon.”

“Did you tell her what we discussed?”

“She got served papers about the meeting. I tried to talk to her, but you know how she can be, she was upset. She‘s afraid of losing you.” 

“She’ll have to get over it.” Sam said bluntly as anger crept into his voice. “What she did was wrong.”

“Sammy, easy dude.” Dean retorted glancing sideways at his brother. “Chill.”

“I know you’re mad at her Sam, but please give her a chance. She loves you.”

“She had no right hold back the call from Bobby about Dean. I could of been here sooner to help Dean. Doesn't she even care about my brother?” 

Dean looked in the rear view mirror at Joshua seeing a look of guilt on his face that told him what Sam said was true. His adopted mother had not told Sam about him being in the hospital. That didn’t set right with him but he held his tongue not wanting to make matters worse. She was not earning any brownie points with him and he was trying to be open minded about it. But now, she didn’t deserve to take care of his baby brother, not anymore, that was his job and he wasn’t going to shirk that duty, no way in hell. 

Trying to change the subject and ease the tension that filled the car Sam spoke up.

“How’s Danny?”

“He’s doing fine, missing his big brother.” 

Dean turned and looked at Sam trying to picture him as a big brother. That was going to take a little getting use to he thought as he concentrated on the road ahead of him. He wasn’t sure he liked the notion of sharing his brother with anyone; this was going to take some getting use to. At least he hoped he was friendlier than his mother.

spn

Sam panted hard as he watched his brother disappear around the curve well ahead of him. Dean was fast, scary fast, especially to have just got out of the hospital. Sam dug deep and pumped his legs with his head down trying to catch his brother when suddenly he was tackled and they both rolled across the dirt path, Sam's breath knocked out of him.

“Wh't the hell Dee?” Sam blurred out after he was able to breath and when he saw Dean’s face smiling down at him. 

“Gotta stay alert at all times S’mmy. Don’t know what could be waitin’ to attack ya.” he smirked climbing off his brother and offering a hand. He had used his own body to cushion the fall making sure Sam’s broken arm was protected. "Didn't I tell ya your training had started?"

“Ow!” Sam grimaced as he looked at his arm where a smear of blood could be seen. "I think you left that bit of information out."

“Are ya okay?” Dean asked taking his arm to look at, concern on his face. 

“Yeah, it’s just a scratch, probably from a rock.” Sam said looking down at the ground and kicking a rock. “I’m fine, doesn't look like it even needs a band aid.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you Sammy.” Dean whispered hanging his head in shame.

“Dean, it’s alright.” Sam told him again seeing the wounded look on his brother’s face. “You didn’t hurt me, I could of tripped and done worse.” he said bumping his brother’s shoulder before giving him a shove to knock him off balance, but not to the ground and sprinted away as fast as he could away from his brother. 

“Oh! You’re so dead!” Dean yelled with a wide smile on his face as he took off after his brother.

spn

Bobby was just pouring himself a cup of coffee when he looked toward the door hearing pounding feet and looked with interest as Sam slammed the door open gasping, red faced and sweaty. He made a bee line for Bobby and slipped behind him as his older brother skidded through the door only a few steps behind him panting and red faced too. He quickly zeroed in on his brother still standing behind Bobby.

"I won." Sam piped out leaning around Bobby's body just enough to see his brother.

Dean made a quick grab for him only to have Sam duck away, keeping Bobby's body between him and his brother.

"That's enough!" Bobby commanded as his coffee slouched out of his cup from the jostling the two brothers were causing. Coffee splattered to the floor making a puddle at his feet. "I don't know what you two are doin‘, but I'm not Switzerland, so cut-the-antics!” he demanded in a commanding voice.

“Yes sir.” they both mumbled, each brother eyeing the other. Even Sam knew from the tone of Bobby’s voice he should do as told. 

“From the smell of you two, I think both of you need to hit the shower. Now git!”

“Dibs on first.” Dean shot at his brother before hurrying toward the stairs.

“Save me some hot water.” Sam complained starting after him. “Sorry Bobby, didn’t mean to put you in the middle.”

“That’s okay son, it’s good to see you two getting alone so good.”

“Why wouldn’t we?” he shrugged bouncing off after Dean. “I get to pick the tv show we watch tonight!”

Bobby shook his head listening to the banter between the brothers and a warm smile spread across his face. He couldn’t believe he could be so lucky as to be getting two amazing boys to share his life with. There was a loud crash from upstairs and he shook his head hoping the house and his nerves could handle it. With a sigh, he sipped the remaining coffee from his cup before turning to the ringing phone labeled FBI, hanging on the wall nearby. 

“FBI, Agent Walker.” he growled out as he dropped a paper towel over the spill and used his foot to wipe it up.


	50. Chapter 50

A/N: Hope you like this little tidbit with Bobby and the boys. Comments are welcome. NC

 

Joshua headed for the car rental agency to return his rental while Dean, Sam and Bobby waited in the Impala for him. Dean was behind the wheel tapping his fingers on the steering wheel alone with the music as he watched people heading into the airport. Sam was looking at his directions wanting to be sure he knew them so he could guide Dean. Bobby was settled back in the back seat relaxing enjoying being chauffeured around.

“Okay, rental’s turned in, we can leave now.” Joshua announced as he got in the back with Bobby.

“You’re up Sammy, start navigating.” Dean told him.

“Alright, we wanna pick up Interstate 29 South down to Interstate 80 West.” Sam explained as Dean pulled out and headed out of the airport parking area. 

“When any one needs a pit stop, sing out.” Dean told them. “Or I’m only stopping for gas. Hear that old man?” he asked Bobby glancing back at him.

“Hearin’ ain’t gone yet boy, ya just keep yer eyes on the road.” Bobby sneered back at him. “Jackass.” he said under his breath.

Joshua bit his lip to keep from laughing from Bobby’s comment to Dean. He could see how much the older man cared for the younger one. He thought Sam was going to have a very close knit family and it put him more at ease about letting him go. He just hoped Sam could forgive Emily and would still want to stay in touch. He knew Danny would be heartbroken if he didn’t get to see him again.

spn

“Are we stopping soon?” Sam asked twisting slightly in his seat.

“Yeah, need to gas up, we’ll stop at the next suitable exit. Why? Need to go?” 

“Yeah.”

“Ten more minutes, that okay?”

“Sounds good.” Sam told him glancing out the window to take his mind off his problem.

“Hang on S’mmy, not much farther.” he encouraged his brother. 

“Might as well grab some lunch while we’re stopping.” Bobby suggested from the back.

“Figured we would, my stomach’s telling me it needs a fill up too.”

“Want me to drive for a while?” Bobby asked Dean as he checked the road signs for food and gas. 

“We’ll see.”

“Don’t need to tire yerself out now son, I know ya think ya’re hundred percent, but don’t push it.” he cautioned Dean.

“Got it.” Dean said seeing the exit up ahead. “Gas first, then food.” 

spn

Dean reluctantly got in back with Sam allowing the adults to sit up front only because Bobby gave him an unspoken command. He fidgeted around already bored and they had only gone ten miles. He looked over at his younger brother who was doing something in a book. 

“What ya doin’?” Dean asked jerking the book from his hands to peer at it.

“Hey! Give that back.” Sam complained trying to grab it from Dean’s hand.

Dean held it just out of his reach and slapped at his hand to hold him off. A brotherly fight broke out between the brothers as Sam fussed and Dean laughed at his attempts to get the book back. Bobby had had enough when their antics kept hitting the back of the front seat causing it to bounce forward. Joshua looked around at the two and started to open his mouth to tell them to calm down, but Bobby beat him to the punch.

“You two hellions had better cool it, don’t make me stop this car.” Bobby growled at them only to have the seat hit again. “Do I need to heat some asses up to get yer attention?” he asked raising his voice higher and louder which didn‘t seem to faze them. Without warning, Bobby jerked the car to the shoulder of the road and stopped it short, sending both boys forward getting their attention. He turned around from the front seat and glared at them before speaking in calm, yet commanding voice. “Don’t think either of ya are too big to turn over my knee and tan both yer asses, so if ya don’t wanna walk the rest of the way, SETTLE...DOWN...NOW!” 

Dean and Sam both stopped their hitting in midair and focused their attention on Bobby’s face knowing that tone was one not to mess with. They both settled back into the seat, Dean tossing Sam his book and pouting slightly as he slunk lower in the seat.

“I can’t hear you?” he demanded.

“Yes sir.” they both mumbled loud enough to be heard.

Joshua looked over at Bobby and saw a look that even had him a little scared. He had to catch himself before he answered along with the boys. One thing he was certain of, Bobby wasn’t going to let either of the brothers walk over him without a fight. He had established himself as the alpha and dared either one to contradict him or defy him.

“Can we have some music?” Dean asked in a very polite tone. “Please.” he added.

“Guess it wouldn’t hurt.” he said turning on the radio and finding a country station to his liking. 

Joshua had to cough a couple of times to keep from laughing when Dean moaned from the back seat and grumbled under his breath about that not being music. He heard Sam giggle only to be poked by Dean until Bobby cleared his throat. Deciding he wasn’t getting his way, Dean slouched down in the seat to try and nap. Sam went back to his logic puzzles grinning at his brother’s defeat.

spn

"Sam, before we get home, I wanted to talk to you." Josh told him looking back over the front seat.

"Okay." Sam replied waiting for him to continue.

"You know Emily loves you just like I do."

"Yes, I know you both do."

"I hope you can forgive her for the way she's been acting. She hasn't seen the closeness you and your brother have like I have. She's just afraid of losing you."

"I was never going to cut you guys out of my life. I want to stay in touch and visit, but will Emily be able to accept that? The reason I did the emancipation was for it to be legal and to allow Dean and Bobby to have guardianship for me until I'm of age. You may think I rushed into this, but I don't see it that way. It's what I needed to do. I've been separated from Dean nearly all my life; I just want us to be together again. Doing this never changed how I feel about you guys."

"I think Emily will come around once she knows you still want to be a part of our lives. If not, we'll just have to help change her mind."

"Hope she will be reasonable and see my side of this. I really don't want to lose her. You guys are my family and gave me a good life and I love you for that. You gave me so much." 

"We'll get through this, don't worry. Things will work out for everyone." Josh assured him before turning back around.

Dean sat there listening intently to the conservation between Sam and Josh, keeping his comments to himself. He liked Josh and it seemed like he was on their side and was willing to let Sam live with them. He was still uncomfortable with coming home with Sam, but he was happy to be spending the time with him. 

spn

It wasn’t long before both brothers were asleep in the back, slumped over. Sam had slid down and was using Dean’s leg as a pillow and Dean was splayed out, his head lolled to the side with his mouth hanging open and the first signs of drool beginning to form in the corner of his mouth that was carefully working it’s way down his chin and toward his brother’s head. Joshua glanced back at the two and smiled. 

“Bobby, may I ask you a question?” he asked once he saw both brothers were asleep.

“Got ahead.” Bobby answered not sure where this was going.

“I know about what Sam is doing and wanted to be sure you were okay with him coming to stay with you. I‘m sure they‘ve asked you, but I just wanted to be sure.”

Bobby looked over at the man before answering him a little surprised he would ask. 

“The way I see it, they’re a matchin' set, can’t have one without the other in my book. When I took Dean in he was ’bout Sam’s age and it was an eye opener dealing with a moody teenager. We had our ups and downs, but we got through it. I’ll give them the best home I can and treat them like they were my own boys.”

“I couldn’t ask more than that, thank you for being honest with me. I see it now; those two should never have been separated when they were young. I wish now we had taken both of them, but we were young and inexperienced. Em and I didn’t know if we could handle one baby much less two. Tr...I mean Sam was such a good baby, hardly ever fussed or cried, but there were times, I don’t know, it was like he knew he didn’t belong to us.” Joshua said quietly not want to disturb the brothers. 

Neither knew that Dean had woke up and was listening to the conservation with interest. He remained still and had his eyes slit slightly and felt his brother lying on his thigh. 

“You know, I think he could sense his brother in some subconscious way. He would have dreams and cry out in his sleep, but we never let him know we heard him. He seemed fine the next day, no sign he even remembered it, so we didn’t bring it up. Guess we didn’t want to upset him.”

“I can understand that, he’s not the only one that has had nightmares.” Bobby commented more to himself than to Joshua. 

“He was very independent and kept things to himself and intelligent, that boy’s IQ was off the charts. We did everything we could to nurture him and allow him to grow at his own pace, which was amazing. I was so happy when he decided to play soccer and run track. Felt he was acting more like someone his age and wasn’t so intense, you know, head stuck in a book all the time.”

“Yeah, I saw that; he updated my computer while he was there, had no idea what he was doing, that kid’s got some smarts.”

Dean smirked to himself hearing how smart his little brother was. He glanced down at him and saw a damp spot in his hair where he had drooled. Well, that’s what he got using his leg as a pillow, Dean thought. 

“You okay back there Dean?” Bobby asked knowing he wasn’t asleep and letting him know he knew.

“Yeah...” Dean answered clearing his throat and reddening slightly at being caught. “We stoppin’ soon?” 

“Figured in the next hour or so.” 

“How much longer?”

“Probably three hours if we stop to eat before getting there.” 

“I’ll take over then, give ya a chance to rest, you being elderly and all.” 

“Don’t push yer luck idjit, I can still sit yer ass out on the side of the road.” Bobby snipped at him.

“I’m just saying, ya gettin’ on in years and all...”

“I can still take ya down a notch or two, so watch it.”

“Are we sto--pp--ing?” Sam yawned as he sat up rubbing his eyes and pushing his hair out of his eyes. “Ew-w!! Did you spit in my hair?” Sam complained feeling the wetness on the side of his head.

“Of course not, that's disgusting.” Dean told him acting innocent.

“Why is my hair damp?”

“Maybe you sweated, you were laying on my leg and I’m one hot dude.” he smirked.

“Yeah, right.” Sam scoffed running his fingers through his hair to try and tame it. “Dream on bro, you just keep tellin' yourself that.” 

Bobby snickered under his breath as he listened to the boys in the back. All you had to do was hear them talk to know that they were brothers who cared about each other very much. It didn't matter how much they picked at or fought, they loved each other unconditionally.


	51. Chapter 51

“Take the next left up here Dee, go five miles and turn right on Hamish Street.” Sam instructed his brother as he guided him to where he lived.

Dean glanced around at the area noticing that the houses were upscale and nice. The yards were well maintained and the neighborhood seemed quiet and friendly. He saw kids in several yards playing and adults walking through the neighborhood in pairs and individually. It looked like a normal, family friendly neighborhood and he could see his little brother fitting right in here. He was lost in thought and wasn’t listening to Sam as he wondered if letting Sam leave here was what was right. Sam was safe and seemed happy and had people who cared and loved him. Did he have the right to take all this away from him?

“Dee...Dee!...You listening to me?” Sam fussed reaching over and hitting him in the arm.

Dean jumped slightly and looked over at Sam, “What?” he growled out in a huff.

“I said, it’s the house at the end on the left with the silver SUV parked in the driveway.”

“Okay.”

“Where were you?” he asked quietly.

“Right here.” he shrugged not willing to tell him his thoughts. He pulled in behind the SUV and looked at the house. “Nice place.”

“Let me get some more clothes and we’ll go get a motel room.” Sam told him opening the passenger door.

“You’re not staying here?” Joshua asked getting out of the back.

“No, I’m gonna staying with my brother at the motel. We have a lot to talk about. Once we meet with the judge and see what he decides, Dean and I are heading back to Sioux Falls with a stop over in Grand Island.” 

“At least tell your brother hello.” Joshua told him a hint of disappointment in his voice. He should of expected this, Sam wanted to be with his brother and he knew his brother wasn't welcome here, at least from Emily anyway. He was sure Danny would love to have both brothers here.

“I planned on it. Maybe we can take Danny to lunch or something. Come on Dee.” Sam called to him when he didn’t get out.

“I can stay out here Sammy.” Dean told him, feeling uncomfortable about going inside. He knew Sam’s adopted mother didn’t like him already and really didn’t wanna cause any problems.

“No you can’t, let’s go.” he insisted opening the driver’s door for him waiting patiently for him to get out.

“You know you’re a pain in the ass sometimes?” 

“You’re one to talk.” 

“Mr. Singer, would you like to come in too? I’m sure there’s something cold in the fridge to drink.” Joshua asked Bobby. "It might help Emily if she met you." he said under his breath where only Bobby could hear.

“You sure son, your wife might not like it.” 

“She’ll be fine.” Josh told him. "Things happened so fast and all, she just needs to see the boys together and see the bond they have. Even if she's not Sam's true mother, she has the same feelings as one. She doesn't want to lose a son." 

"I get it." Bobby nodded getting out and following Josh.

spn

Sam led Dean toward the door and waited for Joshua to unlock it. He stepped back and held the door as everyone else trooped in. Dean and Bobby stood in the foyer looking out into the large living room. 

“Emily, we’re back.” Joshua called walking into the living room. “Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll see if I can find my wife.”

“I’ll go pack some clothes, I’ll be right back.” Sam told them.

“Alright.” Bobby said giving Dean a small push to motivate him to move. They moved into the living room and took a seat on a couch. Dean looked around and spotted framed pictures on a bookcase of Sam at different ages and of another boy younger than Sam. New emotions crept into Dean's mind as he studied the photos and realizing how much of Sam's life he had missed.

spn

“Josh is that you?” a female voice answered from farther into the house.

“Yes honey.” he said when she hurried to him. “We have company.” he told her glancing toward the living room.

“Who?”

“Sam’s brother and friend.”

“What are they doing here?” she asked her tone going cold.

“Em you have to be civil.” Joshua whispered to her. “You wanna ever see Sam again, you need to accept and understand what is happening. Come on meet his brother, he really is a good guy.” he told her laying a hand on her arm. “Sam wants to live with his brother and we need to let him.”

“He’s too young to be making those kinds of decisions and you know it. I don't see how you can be okay with this. What if they're bad people or something? He's already been injured while being with them.” 

“No he’s not and you know it. I want you to be polite, for me. I have been with them long enough to know what kind of people they are Em, I wouldn't think of letting Sam go if I didn't think that.” he said before going to the fridge and looking for something cold for them to drink. He found a couple of root beers in the door and pulled them out walking back to the living room. He glanced back at Emily to see if she was following. 

spn

Sam shouldered a large duffle and headed back down the hall. He was almost to the living room when a cry stopped him.

“Tre...Sam!” Danny called to him running down the hall toward Sam. He wrapped him in a hug that Sam returned with a warm smile. “You’re back!” he exclaimed then saw his bag. “You’re not staying?” his voice changing to one of disappointment.

“Not here, but I’ll be in town for a few days, come on there’s someone I want you to meet.” Sam told him dropping an arm around his shoulders.

They walked toward the living room and the two strangers sitting on the couch. Sam stopped beside Dean before speaking.

“Danny, this is my big brother Dean. Dean this is Danny, my little brother.” Sam introduced them.

Danny eyed Dean as he stood up, his eyes getting bigger when he saw how tall he was. He leaned a little closer to Sam before answering.

“Hi.” he said in a shy voice.

“Hello.” Dean said softly giving him a lopsided smile to make him feel at ease. 

“Emily, this is Dean, Sam’s brother and this is Bobby...” Joshua started not sure how to introduce Bobby.

“My adopted father.” Dean filled in for him. 

“Ma’am.” Bobby said standing up to greet her and sitting back down.

“Trevor, it’s good to have you home.” she said stepping toward Sam to hug him and ignoring Bobby and Dean.

Sam automatically stepped back out of her range and didn’t acknowledge her turning away. Dean watched a hurt and sad expression pass over Emily’s face as Sam rebuked her. He had no love for Emily, but he didn’t think Sam should treat her that way.

“Sammy, manners.” Dean mumbled to him as he blocked his path. "Don't be a dick."

“Hope root beers okay.” Joshua told them handing Bobby and Dean the drinks.

“Thanks.” Dean told him accepting the bottle.

“It’s fine.” Bobby told him taking the offered bottle and taking a sip. He could feel the awkwardness settling in the room and was ready to leave but would tough it out for the boys.

“We’re going to the motel to get a couple of rooms.” Sam told who ever was listening.

“Motel? You’re staying here Trevor.” Emily stated glancing at Josh for support.

“Can't you stay?” Danny asked his smile turning into a frown.

“I’m going to go stay with Dean at the motel, but I’ll come back and see you.” Sam told him. “Maybe we can have lunch together.”

“No you’re not.” Emily insisted starting toward Sam a determined look on her face until Dean stepped slightly in front of Sam blocking her way and daring her to touch his brother with a look that spoke the words he wouldn't. This was his brother and no one was hurting him as long as he was around. Emily faltered in her step as her eyes widened by Dean's action and facial expression. He didn't have to say a word to get his message understood, loud and clear.

"Dean it's okay. What you did was wrong and I think you know that. It's going to be hard to forgive what you did, but I will with a little time." Sam told her stepping around Dean. "Emily, I know this is hard for you to understand why I'm doing this. We've really not talked about it. I can't ever repay you and Josh for the good life you gave me. You gave me so much and encouraged me to grow and be my own person. Don't do this now, it's not you, you're better than this. Can't you see, Dean's my family now too, I need to be with him and I do want to stay in yours too. It's not like I would leave and never come back, we would visit and there's always email and phone calls. Can you accept that?" Sam questioned her being as serious as he could. "I haven't stopped loving any of you just ‘cause I found my brother."

A small sob escaped from Emily as tears welled up in her eyes. She looked at Sam and then to Dean who was watching her, waiting for her to speak.

“Emily, Sam wants to stay with Dean, it’s fine.” Joshua said stepping to her and putting an arm around her.

“I think we’ll be leaving now, it’s been a long drive.” Dean said wanting to leave before things got any more emotional. 

“Yes, we should be goin’.” Bobby agreed getting up.

“I wanna go with Sam.” Danny begged looking from his Mom and Dad.

“No.” Emily told him.

“I think that’s a good idea.” Josh told him. “If it’s alright with Sam and Dean that is.”

“Yeah it’s okay.” Dean answered for them when he saw how much Danny idolized Sam.

“Go pack an overnight bag then. It’ll give your Mom and me some time to talk.”

“Yea!” Danny cried running from the room.

"Trevor..." Emily started and saw the sad look pass over Sam's face. "I mean Sam, I guess, can you go help Danny pack, I'd like to speak to your brother and his adopted father for a moment." Emily told him no sure he would do as she asked.

Sam looked to Dean for a moment and saw the slightest nod of his head that it was okay; he could take care of himself. He didn't like leaving Dean alone with Emily and Josh, but he trusted his brother could hold his own with them. 

"Alright." Sam replied heading down the hall after Danny leaving the others alone. 

Once Sam was out of sight, Dean turned to Emily, standing his full height and squaring his shoulders before he spoke.

"Alright, what's on your mind?" he asked wanting to get this conservation over with.

 

A/N: Comments are welcome. NC


	52. Chapter 52

The room was quiet as everyone either sat or stood around waiting for Emily to answer Dean. No one really looked at anyone in particular, the tension in the room building with the continued silence.

“Before you say anything Emily, I have something to say to Dean.” Josh started before she could answer. He turned to Dean before speaking. “Dean, I know this is too late and may not mean anything now, but I’m sorry we didn’t adopt you too when we did Sam. It was a hard decision to make and I know we made the wrong one now.” 

“We were told what happened to your mother and father and the issues you had.” Emily added. “We didn’t know if we could take care of you and give you what you needed. We hoped you would be placed with a family who could help you. You were still young; I thought it wouldn't be a problem.”

“I needed my brother.” Dean said quietly looking directly at both of them for a moment. "Things didn't work out for me, I was living on the streets by the time I was eleven. It was better than the places I was placed." 

"I never thought..." Josh started but stopped when he saw the look on Dean's face letting him know he didn't want to talk about any of that. Josh stopped talking and looked down at the floor feeling guilty wondering what happened to him.

“We’re not perfect by any means, but you have to understand Trevor, I mean Sam, is my son. How would I not be upset and worried when he up and disappears leaving us a note he’s going to look for his real brother. I was a wreck and the only thing I could think of was someone taking him and hurting him.”

“I would never let anyone hurt Sammy.” Dean said sternly. “I have looked for him my entire life and he finds me instead. Sam is a very resourceful and strong willed individual.” 

“Maybe I was a little hasty having Sam picked up by the police, but I had to know he was okay.” Emily admitted. “I just don’t understand why he wouldn’t talk to us about all this.”

“Would you have listened to him and if he wanted stay with me would you have let him?” Dean questioned, already knowing the answer.

“Not until he was older, he’s still a child too young to make those type of decisions.” she protested.

“There you have it, Sammy’s not a kid, he’s a young adult and you need to let him grow up and make his own choices. He's probably smarter than anyone in this room, yet you're seeing him as a child. I had already decided if he wanted to stay with you guys, I wouldn't stop him, I'd learn to live with his choices." Dean explained to them. "You heard him, he doesn’t want to shut you guys out, he wants to be in your lives still. Aren't you willing to compromise? I love my brother and would do anything for him, I‘d die for him. I would never ask him to toss you guys away, especially his little brother. I saw how much Danny idolizes him." Dean paused for a moment and stepped closer to Emily before continuing. "You don’t even know me, yet you’re judging me on your thoughts alone instead of actually getting to know me. I may not be as smart as my brother or have had the good life he did, but I'm not a bad person. Are you not seeing you're driving a wedge between Sam and you? Is that what you really want?” Dean said trying to sound reasonable and forthcoming.

“That’s very mature of you Dean.” Josh commented, impressed on how Dean was handling this. “He has a point Em; you don’t know him and haven’t seen the closeness they have as brothers. I don't think I've ever seen siblings with a bond like they have.”

“You’re right, I don’t know either of you and I guess that is my mistake.” she offered. “I did think the worse of you and I thought you wanted to take advantage of Sam. It’s hard to see him so...Growing up so fast. He’s always been that way, so I shouldn’t be surprised. I‘ve just never seen this stubborn side of him before, it kind of scared me.” 

“It’s a Winchester thing I guess, he gets it honest.” 

"And you sir, do you have anything to say?" Emily asked Bobby.

“Ma’am, you needn’t worry about Sam, I’ve raised Dean for the past four years and I don’t take any crap from him. I make him toe the line and the same would go for Sam. I‘ll take good care of him and he can come visit any time he wants, neither of us expected him to just up and leave this family and not keep in touch. That would be wrong. I will do everything in my power to make sure he‘s safe and well cared for.” Bobby told her hoping he was helping the situation.

“Believe what he says, I saw it first hand.” Josh chuckled. “He can keep them in line better than even me.”

“We’re ready.” Sam announced as Danny and he walked back into the room. He looked around at the adults trying to surmise what had been said and if it was good or bad. At least no one was bloody or Emily wasn’t crying, so that was a good sign maybe. Danny stood by Sam’s side bouncing from foot to foot anxious to leave. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah Sammy." Dean said looking from Emily to Josh. "You got everything squirt?” Dean asked Danny.

“Yes, Sam made sure I packed what I would need.”

“I’ll watch him.” Bobby told Josh quietly.

“Thanks, I know he’ll be okay.”

“We’ll bring him back later tomorrow afternoon.” 

“Sounds good. You have my number if you need anything.” 

“Josh, you sure about this? Do you know them well enough to let our son go with them?” she questioned.

“Yes I do know them Emily, they’re good people and Sam will be with him, he’ll be fine.”

Emily sighed at him and turned away to walk toward the kitchen trying to get her emotions under control. She didn't want to lose Trevor, no wait, Sam, but could she agree to this? Dean didn't seem like a bad person and he did have some good points, maybe she had misjudged him. She wanted to talk more with Josh and try to understand his thoughts about all this. He was a good man and she knew he would never let Sam or Danny go if there was any danger from Sam's brother or his adopted father.

“I’m sorry about that.” Josh told them. “We'll talk tonight; I think it'll be okay.”

“Thanks Josh, Danny will be fine.” Sam told him as Danny ran for the front door.

“I’m ready.” he said happily.

“You mind your brother and Bobby, ok Danny?”

“I will. 'Bye.”

“Let’s go then.” Dean said heading for the door anxious to get out of there. He had had enough drama for one day and hoped maybe it would be their last. Maybe Emily was coming around now and wouldn’t be so negative with what Sam was doing. Maybe he didn’t handle it the right way, but he couldn’t blame him for doing what he did because he wanted to live with him. It was their time now; they had so much to learn about each other and to just be brothers again. Dean was already feeling that urge and need to protect his brother and take care of him. It had never really left him, even after all these years; it remained dormant in the corner of his mind until now and it was slowly waking up and making itself known.

spn

"Wow! I like the car." Danny said touching the hood of the Impala. "It's cool."

"Thanks, ya've got good taste." 

"Climb in." Sam told Danny opening the back door for him to get in.

“Can we stop and get something to eat?” Danny asked as he crawled in the back seat.

“Yes Danny. Dee there’s a diner down below the motel that has good food.” Sam told him.

“Sounds good to me, they have pie?” 

“Think so, I usually don’t get dessert.”

“What’s wrong with you?” 

“He eats healthy.” Danny replied making a face. “I like pie.”

“Alright!” Dean praised. “We’ll just have to get a couple of big pieces.”

“I want apple with ice cream.”

“You got it squirt.”

“Sam can I ask you something?” Danny asked looking hopefully at Sam.

“Sure bro, you know you can.”

“If Dean is your big brother and you're my big brother, is he my big brother too?” 

Sam looked at Dean as he looked in the rearview mirror at them in the back seat. Without hesitation he answered Danny.

“Of course he is. Now you have two big brothers that will watch out for you.” 

“I like that.” Danny nodded happily snuggling into Sam's side.

"I'm glad." Sam smiled seeing the look of surprise on Dean's face as it softened at the aspect of gaining not one but two brothers now. 

Bobby heard the exchange and saw the look of surprise and then happiness cross Dean’s face as he steered the car back onto the road and toward the diner. He was glad Dean saw that as a good thing and was willing to accept Danny without a second thought. He listened to the quiet conservation between Sam and Danny in the back seat as he told him about looking for Dean. He noticed Sam left out the part about the graveyard and the spirit and fibbed about their first meeting and how he broke his arm. He had to admit the boy was learning fast without much supervision and thought he would make for a good researcher. He couldn't believe how much his life had changed after taking in one brother and now he was going to have both brothers in his life. He didn't know if he should be ecstatic about that or very, very afraid.

A/N: Thank you to all who have taken the time to read my story. Comments are welcome. NC


	53. Chapter 53

“Here ya go squirt.” Dean said pushing a piece of pie in front of Danny who’s eyes got wide with delight.

“You do know what sugar does to a kid don’t ya Dee?” Sam asked as he speared a piece of fruit and popped it in his mouth.

“Awe Sammy, look how much he likes it.” Dean complained as he took a bite of his own pie.

“It’s good Sam.” Danny added spooning some in his mouth and sighing in contentment.

“I didn’t think I would see someone who enjoyed pie as much as you do.” Bobby chuckled as he watched both boys enjoying their dessert. “At least the kid’s not making out with his piece.” 

“Hey! It’s homemade and to die for.” Dean fussed. He took another bite and moaned softly as it melted in his mouth and the flavor exploded on his taste buds.

Danny giggled as he copied Dean with his next bite making Sam laugh out loud at his antics. 

“You’re a bad influence on our brother.” 

“I’m just teachin’ him ‘bout the better things in life.” 

“You guys finish up, I think my motel bed is callin’ to me.” Bobby told them ready to relax in his room.

“You heard the old man, eat up.” Dean told Danny and Sam as he popped his last bite into his mouth. 

Bobby caught the waitress’s attention and motioned for the check. He reached into his pocket for some money when Sam pushed two twenties in front of him. 

“What that’s for?” 

“To pay for the meal.” Sam said getting up. “I’m going to the restroom, Danny you need to go?”

“Y’h.” he said with a mouth full of pie.

“How ‘bout swallowin' before you talk?”

“Sorry.” he said wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt before following Sam much to Bobby's dismay.

spn

“I can’t take his money.” Bobby told Dean pushing the money away.

“Might as well take it, he’s more stubborn than I am.” Dean shrugged pushing it back toward him.

Bobby huffed to himself and put the two twenties with a five with the check and got up to leave. Dean slid out of the booth and followed him to the front to wait for Sam and Danny. He couldn’t believe how fortunate he was not only finding his little brother but getting another in the process. Danny seemed like an okay kid and he could see Sam’s influence in him.

“We’re ready.” Sam announced getting his attention.

“Let’s go then.” he said holding the door for his brothers. He followed them out and to the Impala and got in waiting for everyone to buckle up before heading for the motel.  
spn

“I’ve got a room beside your’s if ya need anythin’.” Bobby told the boys.

“We should be fine.” Dean said accepting the key. “See ya in the morning. C‘mon you two let‘s get settled for the night, I‘m ready for some sleep.”

Dean opened the door to their room and did a quick check before letting Sam and Danny enter. He put his bag on the bed closest to the door and double locked the door behind them. 

“I’m going to grab a quick shower, Danny why don‘t you brush your teeth and use the bathroom and change into pajamas first.” Sam told them opening his bag to get sleep clothes and his bathroom bag.

“Okay.” he said digging around in his bag for his toothbrush. “I forgot my toothpaste.”

“You can use mine.” Sam offered pulling his from the bag.

“Thanks, I won’t be long.” 

“You okay sleeping with Danny?” Dean asked dropping to his bed and grabbing the remote to turn on the TV.

“Yeah, he use to climb in my bed when he was little.” 

“So when is your appointment with this judge?”

“Day after tomorrow at ten am.” 

“So we have tomorrow to mess around then.”

“I guess, I need to go to the bank tomorrow, other than that, we can do whatever.”

“I’m done.” Danny announced plopping down on the empty bed and checking out what Dean was watching on the television. 

“Alright, maybe we can catch a movie or something.”

“Sounds like fun and there’s a nice park with picnic tables and a mini golf course and batting cages. We could grab some lunch and eat there, check them out.”

“Whatever ya wanna do.” he grunted finally settling on an action movie.

“Okay.” 

spn

“Dean can I ask you somethin’?” Danny asked rolling to his stomach and looking at Dean.

“I guess kid.” 

“You’ll let Sam come and see me won’t you?”

“Sure kid, whenever we’re nearby we’ll stop and see ya.”

“Can I come visit you guys?”

“We’ll see, let’s take it a step at a time.” he cautioned knowing they couldn’t explain Bobby’s place to the boy, but he didn’t want to discourage him either. 

“Okay.” he said seeming satisfied with the answer. “Wow! Look at that car crash, he took out three more cars.” 

“You like action movies?”

“Yeah, and Jurassic Park, I love dinosaurs. Oh and the Indiana Jones movies.”

“Yeah, they're pretty good. What else do you like to do?”

“I play soccer like Tr...Sam and I like to hike and build models and draw and read...” he rattled on bouncing on the bed as Dean let him talk.

“That’s gooood kid.” Dean yawned trying to stay awake until Sam was finished in the bathroom.

“Where did ya get your car? It’s old isn’t it? Do you work on it?...”

“Sammy was right, shouldn’t of given ya that pie with ice cream.” Dean mumbled as he listened to the questions Danny was throwing at him so fast he couldn't answer them. But it didn't seem to matter to Danny that Dean wasn't answering his questions, he just kept asking them as Dean did his best to keep his tired eyes open and pretend to be listening.

spn

“What ya watching?” Sam asked coming out of the bathroom towel drying his hair.

“C’mon Sam, you should see the car wrecks.” Danny said scooting over so Sam could join him on the bed. 

Dean pulled himself from his bed and rummaged in his bag for his bathroom bag before stumbling toward the bathroom door.

“Can ya hang this up for me?” Sam asked tossing his towel at his brother smacking him in the face.  
“Sorry.” he shrugged.

Dean grumbled under his breath something about respect for his elders as he pulled the towel off his shoulder and headed on into the bathroom closing the door behind him with a thump. 

“I like Dean.” Danny told Sam scooting closer to him.

“I’m glad. I think he likes you too.” Sam replied bumping his shoulder with Danny’s. “I’m glad you two are getting alone.”

“He’s cool and drives a bad ass car.”

“Danny! Language!” Sam said in shock.

“Dad says it when he thinks I’m not listening, especially when he watches the races.” Danny explained with a shrug.

Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head. Danny was right, he had heard Joshua talking about the race cars and other sports like that. He never knew either of them were listening to his interaction with the television.

“So will you have like two adopted Dads now?” he questioned.

“You know, I guess I will, Bobby is like a father to Dean, so I’m sure he’ll be the same to me and then I have Josh. Guess I’m actually lucky in a way.”

“I’m glad you came back even if it’s not for long.” 

“You know I would never forget you and would make sure we could stay in contact. You're my little brother, you'll always have a place in my life.”

“I know.” he said looking up as Dean strolled back into the room dressed in sleep clothes.

“Here, I’m calling it a night.” Dean told them handing Sam the remote that was still laying on his bed before turning it back to get in. “See ya in the morning.”

“’Nite Dee.” Sam and Danny said in unison. 

Dean looked at the two shaggy haired boys sitting on the bed looking at him waiting for an answer. He chuckled to himself before responding.

"'Nite guys, don't stay up too late." he told them before slipping under the covers and settling down. He was asleep within minutes, letting the soft drone of the television and his brothers giggling and whispers send him into dreamland.

Sam turned the television down so not to disturb Dean and the two brothers whispered softly between themselves as the program played on in the background.

 

A/N: Danny seems to be fitting right in with the Winchester brothers. Comments are welcome. NC


	54. Chapter 54

The next day dawned sunny with a scattering of fluffy, white, marshmallow clouds lazily making their way across the azure sky. Everyone was up early and they had breakfast before splitting up. Bobby decided he would relax in the small park behind the motel and enjoy a good book while the boys headed to the bank and into town to hang out. He didn't feel like trying to keep up with those three rowdy ones for the day. Having a quiet day to himself would be nice for a change and give him some time to catch up on his reading.

"You need me to go in with ya?" Dean asked as he pulled into the bank parking lot.

"No, they know me, I won't be long." he told him getting out and heading for the front doors.

"You okay back there squirt?" he asked Danny glancing in the back seat at him.

"Yes, are we goin' to play mini golf?"

"Maybe, you like playing it?"

"Sure, Dad's took me a few times and one of my friends had a birthday party there."

"What grade are you in?"

"Fourth grade." 

"You like school?"

"Yeah, I like science best; I wanna be a research biologist when I grow up." 

"Wow, well study hard." 

"I am, my teacher's say I'm doing work well beyond my age group."

"Looks like you're following in our brother's footsteps with the smarts."

"I try not to stand out, that's how you get beat up." he mumbled looking away from Dean.

"You having trouble at school?" Dean asked sitting up slightly when he heard the change in his voice.

"It's okay."

"Look, when we go to the park I'll show you a couple of moves to defend yourself."

"You'd do that for me?" Danny asked excitement building in his voice.

"Damn straight. Don't no one bully either of my little brothers." he said firmly. 

"Thanks Dean." Danny smiled happily. 

Both looked toward the passenger door as Sam opened it and crawled in. He looked between the two for a moment feeling left out for some reason. He saw a secret look pass between the two before he spoke.

"Did I miss somethin'?" 

"Nope, now where?" Dean asked starting his Baby, letting her roar to life and settle into a steady purr. 

spn

"Come on Sammy, hit the ball already." Dean whined to him as he studied his golf ball and where the hole was. He checked out the traps for that hole and how the ball needed to bank off one side to get a hole in one.

"Give me a sec." he fussed back stepping up to the ball and getting ready to hit it. Taking in a deep breath, Sam hit the ball and watched it roll on the path he expected and bounce off the side to roll straight for the hole and go in.

"Not bad little bro, my turn." Dean said sitting his ball on the starting point. He quickly accessed the situation and with a strong swing at the ball, sending it down the lane, making it jump the last curve and land on the other side to roll to the hole and go in. "Alright!" 

"Man, both of you are good." Danny sighed as he put his ball down to play. 

"As long as you do your best, that's what counts." Sam told him waiting patiently for Danny to take his turn. 

"It takes a little practice." Dean added showing Danny a better way to hold the club. "Now picture it in your mind before you hit the ball, see the path it will take and hit it." 

Danny did as Dean said and tapped his ball sending it down the lane to bounce off the side and head for the hole. It stopped about a foot shy of the hole.

"Way to go!" Dean praised him with a pat on the back.

"Not bad Danny, two shots for this hole is good." Sam added.

"Wow! I did good." 

"C'mon; hit it in so we can go to the next hole." Dean told him seeing others coming up behind them.

The boys worked their way through the course, Dean and Sam competing for the best score which Dean won only because the cast on Sam's arm hampered him slightly on one of the shots. Of course Dean wouldn't accept that excuse and strutted around praising himself. Sam rolled his eyes and scoffed at him as they turned in their clubs making Danny giggled at their antics. 

spn

After picking up some sandwiches and drinks, Dean headed to a nearby park so they could eat. Danny told them about school and his last soccer game that his team won. After finishing their food, Dean took Danny to a nice grassy spot and showed him a couple of easy moves to protect himself. He used Sam as an example and sparred a little with him giving him moves that could take down kids bigger than him. He talked to him about fighting and how to avoid fights if at all possible. He explained that winning didn’t always mean having a physical fight. He told him the best fight was one where no punches were thrown and both opponents walked away unharmed. Danny hung on Dean’s every word, devouring them like a starving person. Sam sat back and watched with pride as Dean and Danny grew closer. He couldn’t have planned for this to go any better than it was. Even if they weren’t brothers by blood, a special bond was forming between the three of them that was just as strong. His respect and admiration was growing the more he got to know his brother. He was finding that Dean was a very complex and hard person to get to know and he knew he needed to have patience with him; he needed to let Dean move at his own pace. He was opening up to him more each day, even if he didn’t know it, Sam could see it. He hoped the trip alone back to Sioux Falls would give them some much needed one on one time to bond.

spn

"What are we doing now?" Danny asked as he walked between the two Winchester brothers.

"Well Sammy, movie or somethin' else?"

"Let's see what's playing and then decide." 

"Ok, which way?" he asked as they piled into the Impala. 

"Take a right out of the parking lot; it's about three miles down the road on the left beside a shopping center."

"Got it." Dean replied following Sam's directions.

spn

"The Mission Impossible movie is showing." Sam commented leaning closer to Dean so he could see the list of movies out the driver's side window. 

"Independence Day, alien invasion or Twister, chasing tornados don‘t sound too bad. What do you guys think?"

“Independence Day.” Danny piped up.

“Sure he won’t have nightmares?” Dean mumbled to Sam not wanting to cause problems with Danny’s parents.

“No, he’s seen some horror movies before and didn‘t have any problems. They were kind of stupid to me.” Sam answered as he looked over the choices one more time. “Ok Danny aliens or stuff blowing up and fast cars?”

Danny frowned as he thought about the choices and finally answered, “Stuff blowing up.”

“Mission Impossible it is.” 

“Can I have some popcorn?” Danny asked Sam.

“Yeah, we’ll get a big bucket and a couple of drinks, wouldn’t be a movie without popcorn and oh some peanut M&M‘s.” Dean told him parking the car near the theater. “I’ll get the tickets an’ while you guys go to the restroom, I’ll get us some popcorn, candy and drinks and meet you at the front.”

“Alright.” Sam told him putting a hand on Danny’s shoulder and guiding him across the road and through the traffic. 

“I’ll let Bobby know we’re catching a movie and will run by to pick Danny’s things up before dropping him back at his house. Figure he can go ahead and eat if he wants, not wait on us.”

“Okay. Come on Danny let’s go to the restroom and we’ll meet Dee at the front.”

“I like root beer.” he told Dean before following Sam.

spn

“I gotta say, Cruise wasn’t half bad.” Dean commented as they made their way from the theater.

“I like the things blowing up and the car chases.” Danny added. 

“It was fast paced that’s for sure. I read that Cruise did his own stunts for the movie.”

“Wonder if they’ll do another one?” 

“You know they will.”

“Ok,ay guess we need to run by the motel, get your things an’ take ya home.”

“Can’t I stay another night?” Danny begged.

“I have an appointment at the courthouse tomorrow and I don’t know how long that’s going to take.” Sam told him. “We’ll come by to tell you good-bye before we leave.” he assured him.

“Promise?”

“I promise and you know I keep my promises.” 

“Okay, I guess. Thanks you two, I had a great time today.”

“We did too.” 

“I’m gonna miss ya.” Danny said sadly.

“I’ll miss you too, but we’ll stay in touch. I’ll give you Bobby’s number and you can call me anytime.”

“When we get back to Sioux Falls you’re getting a cell, so you can call an’ give him that number.” Dean informed him.

“I am?”

“Yes, you are. I’m not havin’ ya out there without a way to call me if you get in trouble.” 

“Oh, I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right, I’m the big brother; I’m always right.” 

“You keep on telling yourself that.” Sam scoffed with a sarcastic laugh. 

“Bite me bitch.” Dean shot at him bumping his shoulder.

“No, you might like it jerk.” Sam snapped.

“Are you guys fighting?” Danny asked listening to the back and forth banter.

“Naw, we’re just messing with each other.” Dean told him messing up his hair. 

“Yeah, it’s a brother thing.” 

“Okay, that’s good.” 

“We’re just getting acquainted is all, making up for lost time.” Dean added. “Sam, I’ll wait in the car while you take Danny in.”

“Alright, no problem.” he nodded understanding Dean's hesitation about going back in. He leaned back and watched out the window at the familiar surrounds passing by as Dean drove back to the motel. He hoped Josh was having some luck changing Emily’s mind about all this. He hoped meeting Dean and Bobby would help relieve some of her anxiety about all this. Sam wanted to continue having a relationship with them and Danny and he hoped they would accept Dean as his brother and maybe allow him to be a part of their family. Dean deserved some happiness in his life after all he had been through growing up. And Sam knew them finding each other was hopefully starting point for that. He knew together they were stronger and their oneness would only grow. 

“Think we wore him out today.” Dean mumbled glancing back at Danny who had gone to sleep.

“Yeah, thought he was slowing down there near the end of the movie. He could barely stay awake.” Sam chuckled looking back too. “He should sleep good tonight.”

“He’s not the only one. I saw ya nod a couple of times yourself.”

“Did not.” Sam defended himself. “I’ll run in and get his bag and things.” he told Dean as they pulled into the motel parking lot.


	55. Chapter 55

A/N: The day is here, Sam sees the judge and they can put this behind them. Sadly, this story is drawing to an end but I do have a sequel ready to post. I have enjoyed creating it for your reading pleasure. Wow! Almost 2000 hits that is great. All comments are appreciated. NC

 

People were moving in and out of the building as Sam led the way into the courthouse. Dean trailed slightly behind him with Bobby at his side. His eyes quickly scanned his surroundings looking for any danger to them his hunter instinct kicking in automatically now. 

"Calm down son, it'll be okay." Bobby mumbled to the young man.

"I am calm." Dean hissed madly as every muscle in his body tightened ready to do battle with an unknown source. 

"It'll be okay Dean." he assured him.

Dean just nodded as he watched Sam veer to the side toward a waiting Emily and Josh. He faltered in his steps feeling like an outsider as they both hugged Sam and spoke lovingly to him. He had told himself he could handle this, no matter what happened. His journey was over, Sam was found and he was safe, that's all that really mattered to him. He wanted his brother to be happy. He looked at Bobby when he nudged him breaking his train of thought and bringing him back to reality. 

"Sam's wantin' ya." Bobby told him nodding in his direction. 

Dean looked over at Sam who was motioning with his hand for him to join them. Dean swallowed hard before taking a tentative step toward his brother and his family. 

"Come on Dee, my appointments in fifteen minutes." he told him.

"Hello Dean, Bobby." Josh greeted the two men. 

"Josh, ma'am." Bobby replied tipping his old baseball cap to Emily.

"Hi." Dean mumbled amazed at how calm and collected Sam seemed to be. It was like he knew what the outcome to this meeting was going to be before it actually happened. He wished he had part of that confidence right now as he shifted nervously beside Sam.

"Josh and Emily want us to have dinner with them tonight, that okay with you guys?" Sam asked them.

Dean looked up in surprise, not sure he heard him right. He looked from Sam to Josh and Emily waiting for them to deny the invitation or to see the ulterior motive behind it. He wondered what the catch was; it seemed too good to be true.

“Whadda ya say Dean, that okay with you?” Josh asked him seeing the shocked look on his face and wanting to quell his suspicions. “Won’t be anything fancy, thought we would grill out, hamburgers and hotdogs with the fixings.” 

“Okay, I guess.” Dean said slowly looking to Bobby for support. 

“It’s up to ya Dean; my flight doesn't leave 'til in the mornin'.” Bobby offered letting Dean make this decision. 

“Danny would love to see you again Dean, he hasn’t stopped talking about you since he got back.” Emily added trying to be friendly. 

“Great!” Sam said looking up when his name was called. “It’ll be okay.” Sam whispered to Dean in passing and giving his arm a quick squeeze.

spn

Dean glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time wondering how much longer this was going to take. Sam had been in with the judge for nearly an hour now and he didn’t know if that was good or bad. He looked up when the secretary called for Josh and Emily to join Sam in the judge’s chambers. Dean fidgeted in his chair as he picked up a magazine and began to thumb through it. He jumped when Bobby spoke to him.

“You alright son?” he asked seeing the wary look in Dean’s eyes.

“I’m fine.” Dean muttered not willing to admit his nerves were a wreck.

“Son, you’re anything but fine even if you won’t admit it. No matter what happens today you know we’ll get through this together. Yer’re not alone in this.” Bobby assured him.

“Yes sir.” he said letting out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. 

“You gotta promise me, you won’t do anything stupid if things don’t go Sam’s way.” 

Dean clenched his jaw and looked down at the floor for a moment knowing Bobby was waiting for an answer. He knew what he was thinking, that he'd go off the deep end again.

“I’ve come to terms with it, no matter which way it goes. You don’t have to worry.” he finally said hoping to ease Bobby’s mind. 

“That’s good to hear.” 

“How much longer you think?”

“Don’t know, never been to one of these. I’m sure the judge needs to be sure of all the facts ‘fore he makes a decision.” 

spn

Bobby and Dean looked toward the office door when it opened and Sam, Josh and Emily walked out. Sam made a bee line for Dean and stopped in front of him.

“Dee, the judge wants to talk to you.” 

“Me? Why?” Dean asked his eyes taking on a deer in headlights look as all eyes stared at him. 

“He didn’t say; go on, he’s waiting for you.” 

Dean got up slowly and made his way toward the door. He tried to keep his hand from trembling as he stopped in front of the door and knocked, waiting for admission. He heard a male voice telling him to enter and reached a trembling hand toward the doorknob. Dean quickly surveyed the room before zeroing in on the distinguished older man sitting behind the desk. 

“Come in young man and have a seat.” the judge said motioning Dean to one of the two chairs in front of his desk. 

Dean did as he was told and sat down in a chair across from him. He waited impatiently as the judge wrote quickly in a file in front of him. He closed the file and looked up at the young man sitting ramrod straight in the chair trying not to show how nervous he was and studied him before he spoke.

“Good morning Mr....” he started glancing down at his desk before continuing. “Winchester. Thank you for seeing me.”

“If it’ll help my brother, I’ll do anything.” Dean replied. 

“My name is Judge Cooper; I’ve reviewing the emancipation procedures for a Samuel Winchester. I take it he is your biological brother?”

“Yes sir, we were separated when he was a year old and it took us this long to find each other.”

“I see.” he said leaning back in his chair. “And you are in agreement with Sam living with you?”

“I am, it has been my hope all these years that I would find him and our family could be reunited. I never gave up searching for him, no matter how hopeless it seemed. I never forgot him and how he'd look up at me with those trusting eyes knowing I would protect him. He‘s all I have left since our parents are gone.” 

“What do you do Mr. Winchester?”

“I work in my adopted father’s garage and I’m finishing high school. I only lack a few credits to graduate.” 

“So you live with your adopted father and how does he feel about Sam living with him?”

“He’s all for it. He knows we belong together. He raised me the last four years and he’ll tell ya, I can be a pain in the ass sometimes. Oh, sorry ’bout my language.” Dean rambled as he felt a slight hotness on his cheeks. “If I needed to, I was ready to find a full time job and an apartment for us so we could be together.” 

“That's fine son.” the judge chuckled by Dean’s honest answer. “How old are you?”

“I’ll be eighteen in January sir and I intend to file for guardianship for Sam until he‘s legal age.” 

“How do you feel about the family that raised Sam?”

“I’m grateful that Sam ended up with a good family that supported and loved him. If we get to be together, I want him to stay in touch with them. They were a huge part of his life growing up, there’s no reason he shouldn’t continue to talk and see them. And he’s got a little brother who adores him and it would be a crime for them not to be in each other’s lives.” 

“What about Sam’s future?”

“He’ll finish high school and it’s his choice what he does after that. If he wants to go to college, he should. I haven’t known him long enough to really answer that honestly. I don’t know what he’s really interested in, but I do know he’s super smart and when he puts him mind to something he’ll figure out how to accomplish it.”

“I’ve already seen that in his knowledge about this procedure and the details he went to with the application. I think he was better prepared than most attorneys coming my way. He’d make a good attorney one day. Thank you for your time Mr. Winchester.” the judge told him standing to shake his hand. "Would you mind asking...Mr. Singer to step in please? Good day.” 

“Thank you sir.” Dean said shaking his hand before turning to leave. He headed from the room to join the others in the hall. 

“The judge wants to see you Bobby.” Dean told him as most of the tension from his body drained away. He swayed slightly feeling slightly light headed for a moment.

“You okay Dee?” Sam asked seeing the paleness on Dean’s face. 

"I'm fine."

"I'll be back in a moment." Bobby told them before heading for the judge's chambers. He knocked once and then went in closing the door behind him.

Dean sat down in a chair and rested his elbows on his knees as he cupped his head in his hands. Sam sat down beside him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. The brothers sat quietly side by side in silence, no words needed for them to communicate. Josh and Emily sat on a bench beside them feeling the brothers needed this time. 

spn

It was about twenty minutes before Bobby came back out and headed for the boys. Dean and Sam stood up looking to him in expectation. 

"The judge said to tell ya he would give you an answer in the next twenty-four hours."

"So we're done here?" Dean asked ready to leave. 

“Why don’t we go get some lunch?” Bobby suggested knowing Dean didn’t eat any breakfast.

“Yeah, come on Dee I could use some food.”

“Why don’t you guys come over around four this afternoon?” Josh asked. “We’ll relax and visit a bit before I get the grill going.” 

“Sounds good.” Bobby replied shaking his hand. “We’ll see you then.” 

“Dean, Danny says you like pie, what’s your favorite?” Emily asked. 

“Cherry.” Dean got out after a moment. 

“Okay cherry it is then. We’ll see everyone later.” she said trying to put on a happy front.

“See ya.” Sam said guiding Dean toward the front door. 

“Want me to drive?” Bobby asked.

“No, I'm good.” Dean said shaking his head slightly to clear it and let his mind unwind. He unlocked the car, allowing the others to get in. “So where to for lunch?”

“There’s a good sub shop a couple of blocks away or several fast food places.”

“A nice meaty sub sounds good.” 

“Alright, go to the end of the block and hang a left and at the next light a right and you’ll see it on the right halfway down.”

“Got it, left, right, right.” he repeated backing from the parking space and heading for the exit. 

"Well the judge seemed friendly." Sam commented. "What do you think Bobby?"

"I honestly don't know son, all I can say is you did a good job presenting your case; the judge was impressed." 

"Hopefully he'll let us know something today and we can head out tomorrow after dropping you off at the airport." 

"Me too." Dean mumbled to himself wanting this over with and behind them.


	56. Chapter 56

A/N: Thank you to all who are taking the time to read my creation and I hope it has entertained. Please comment if you have a moment. NC

 

Sam knocked on the front door and heard running footsteps from inside. The door was thrown open and Danny launched himself at Sam almost knocking him down if Dean hadn't grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"You're here!" he cried squeezing him tight and surprising Dean by doing the same to him. Dean grunted and tried to shrug off his attention but neither Bobby nor Sam bought it. "C'mon, Dad's on the deck." he told them pulling Sam and Dean with him as Bobby trailed along behind them. 

"Hi guys, glad you came." Josh greeted them. "There's sodas and lemonade in the ice chest, help yourselves." he said while he continued to get the grill ready.

"Thanks." Sam replied going over and grabbing a couple of sodas for him and Dean. 

"Got a couple of cold beers in the bottom if ya want one." he whispered to Bobby. 

"Don't mind if I do." Bobby answered looking in the ice chest and seeing the beer in a corner. He snagged one of the bottles and took a seat near Josh. 

Sam and Dean joined Danny out in the yard near the tree house. Danny was talking to them rapidly and adding hand gestures to get his point across. Sam laughed out loud and Dean snickered patting Danny on the back. 

“Dean’s made a strong impression on Danny.” Josh commented watching the boys,

“He has a habit of doing that.” Bobby noted sipping his beer happy that things seemed to have calmed down and it looked like Emily just might be accepting Sam’s wishes. 

“Josh, the meats ready whenever you are.” she called from the house.

“Thanks hon, I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes.” 

“Hello Mr. Singer.”

“Please, Bobby, no need bein’ formal.”

“Only if you call me Emily.” she said disappearing back inside.

“It seems your wife has had a change of heart.”

“We had a very, long talk last night and after hearing both Dean and Sam telling her they wanted to stay in touch, it finally sunk in. She’s seeing she won’t be losing him after all. I’m trying to get her to see we’re really gaining a son not losing one.” he said glancing back at the boys to see Dean chasing Danny around the yard with Sam chasing him.

“Glad to hear it, that‘ll make both them boys happy.” 

“Help! Help Dad!” Danny screamed as he ran for the deck only to be scooped up into Dean’s strong arms and tossed over his shoulder. “Sam! Sam!” he cried as Dean tickled his sides. 

Sam made a dive for Dean’s long legs making him stumble and fall to the ground. He tossed Danny gently to the side before he fell so he wouldn’t get hurt. Both boys jumped on Dean and tried to pin him down to tickle him but he trapped one between his legs and one in his arms laughing at their struggle to get free.

“What is going on out here?” Emily asked hearing Danny screaming. She stood at the door wiping her hands on a dish towel and watching the boys out in the yard. She watched Dean playing with both boys and saw how careful he was with them being sure neither got hurt. Dean tossed the boys around being sure to cushion their falls and letting them pin him to the ground for a moment before turning the tables and capturing both of them. She smiled and went back to the kitchen thinking she was very wrong about Dean in so many ways. He seemed to be a caring, protective, big brother for both boys and when looking at Dean, she saw what Sam would be like as a young adult. 

“You know, I think you’re gonna have your hands full.” Josh commented.

“Don’t remind me.” Bobby sighed.

“Bobby I know it’s not my place to ask, but what happened to Dean growing up?”

“That’s not my place to say, that’s Dean’s story to tell. All I can say is the bad stories you hear ‘bout foster care are true and Dean bore the brunt of it.”

“I’m so sorry." he said sadly. "How did you two meet?” he asked trying to change the subject.

“I was visiting an old high school friend and Dean was working for him in his bar. He found Dean going through a dumpster looking for food and took him in. He was living on the streets at that time. Gave him a place to stay in exchange for him helping out in the bar. I would see him when I stopped by and one day he asked to come stay with me. Seemed to think I was one step closer to finding his brother. Took me by surprise, but I couldn’t say no. He kind of grows on ya.” Bobby told him leaving out the part about hunting.

“He’s lucky to have you in his life. You’ve raised him right.”

“I had some help alone the way so I can't take all the credit. After all the bad that happened to him, he turned out to be a well rounded person.”

“I’m gonna get the hamburgers and hot dogs and get them on the grill. Help yourself to another if you want.” 

“Thanks.” 

“Dad!” Danny screamed. “Where’s the badminton set?”

“In the garage.”

“Thanks.” he yelled running for the garage to find it.

spn

“C’mon Sam you can beat him.” Danny encouraged as Sam and Dean hit the birdie back and forth trying to outdo the other. They had been volleying back and forth for like ten minutes neither willing to be bested. 

“Must be getting old like Dean said, can’t hold my beer like I use to. Could you point me to the bathroom?” Bobby asked Josh getting up from his seat.

“No problem, I need to get something from the kitchen, I’ll show you.” Josh told him leading the way into the house.

Sam drew back and smacked the birdie sending it high into the air and into the limbs of the large oak in the side yard. Dean bounced around waiting for it to come down so he could drill it at his brother. He tilted his head sideways and frowned when the birdie never came down through the branches.

“Good job Sammy looks like it’s stuck.”

“Do you see it?” he asked coming to stand by his brother and stare up into the tree.

“I see it.” Danny said pointing up into the tree where the birdie was stuck in the fork of a branch pretty high in the tree.

“I’ll get it.” Sam said heading for the lowest branch of the tree.

“Nothin’ doin’ Sammy.” Dean stopped him with a hand to the chest. “If anyone’s climbing the tree it’s me.” 

"Why?" he questioned.

"Well for one, you already have one broken arm, don't need another and no way I'm letting squirt climb up there. Besides I'm the big brother and what I say goes you know that."

"Really Dean?" Sam scoffed. "You're throwing the 'big brother' card at us?"

"Yeah, because I can." he shot back before heading for the lowest branch on the tree. "Get use to it."

"Jerk." Sam mumbled giving Dean his best bitch face. It had not taken him long to master the art of it and was finding he was pretty good at it.

"I heard that bitch."

"Man he's got super good hearing." Danny giggled.

Sam and Danny stood under the tree watching Dean launch himself up to grab a branch and pull himself up. He climbed higher in the tree trying to get to the birdie. 

spn

Josh and Bobby walked back out onto the deck and stopped looking out into the yard trying to figure out what was going on. They saw Sam and Danny staring intently up into the tree and pointing up into it at something they couldn't see.

“Any idea?” Josh asked.

“Well there’s one missing so I’m sure it has something to do with him.” Bobby suggested heading to the boys. “What’s goin’ on?”

“Dee is getting our birdie.” Danny told them pointing up in the tree at Dean who was climbing higher. 

“Someone wanna tell me where the damn thing is?” Dean growled from the branches of the tree. 

“It’s over to your right and higher up.” Danny instructed.

“Dean, you be careful up there.” Bobby cautioned him as his feet slipped leaving him dangling from a tree limb by one hand. 

“Sonovabi...” Dean huffed grabbing for a branch with his free hand.

“Idjit!” he muttered grabbing the young boys by the collars of their shirts and dragging them back in case Dean did take the plunge. He didn't need anyone getting squashed. “Gonna give me a heart attack one of these days.”

“I shoulda just shot it out of the tree.” Dean fussed as he got his feet back under him and pulled himself higher so he could reach the birdie. Dean stretched to his full height reaching out with one hand as his fingers slightly grazed the birdie, but not dislodging it. He grunted madly and shifted a little more finally knocking it free as he grabbed for the closest branch to keep his balance.

“I got it.” Danny beamed holding the birdie up like a trophy. 

“Okay Dee, come on down.” Sam called to him. “Be careful.”

“What do ya think I’m tryin’ to do?” he grunted as he maneuvered his way back down to the ground. 

“Gotta check the burgers, food should be ready in ten minutes. Why don’t you guys go clean up and grab a seat around the picnic table?” Josh suggested heading for the grill.

“Alright.” Sam said. “Come on Dee, you can use my bathroom.” 

“Thanks.” he replied brushing his hands off on his pants and shaking his head to rid his hair of small twigs and dirt. "Next time, it stays in the tree." he huffed.

spn

“Need some help?” Bobby asked Emily as she took food from the fridge.

“Can you take those two bowls out to the table?”

“Sure thing and thank you for inviting us over, it was mighty nice of you.”

“Like Josh reminded me, the only way to get to know people is to be around them. If Sam is going to be living with you, I figured what better way of getting to know you than having dinner with you. Do you cook?”

“You could call it that. But I have to say I’ve gotten better at it since Dean came to live with me. He won’t admit it, but he’s pretty handy in the kitchen too. Makes a really good baked chicken and rice and hamburgers.” 

“I’m surprised, can’t really see him cooking.”

“That boy can surprise ya with what he knows and can do. He’s a natural around car engines, like he was born to it. He can diagnose the problem with a car faster than I can now. He’s really a smart, resourceful kid.”

“He’s so good with the boys, even Danny. It’s like they’ve known each other forever instead of just a couple of days.”

“Dean thinks of him as family now and family is everything to that boy. I‘ll go put these on the table.” 

“Thanks for the help.” 

“My pleasure.” Bobby told her heading outside with the bowls of food. 

She followed him with two more bowls and got the table set up. Josh began taking up the burgers and hotdogs from the grill as the boys came out the door and headed for the table. The boys sat on one side of the table and the adults took the other. Food was passed around and light conservation was started among the adults as the boys began to chow down on the food mumbling and talking among themselves. Anyone who would of saw them would of thought them as one big happy family. Partway through their meal, the boys started getting rowdy and boisterous. Before Josh or Emily could say anything Bobby spoke up.

“Settle it down over there you three.” he growled in a calm, demanding voice. “They were nice enough to invite us over don’t mean ya gotta act like yer got no manners.” The tone of his voice and his look was all it took for them to know he meant business.

The boys all settled down and continued to eat their meal without further incident. Josh and Emily looked at each other amazed at how well Bobby could control the boys. There was no fussing or complaining from them for being disciplined by Bobby.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to overstep.” Bobby told them when he realized what he did.

“Its fine, you did better than I probably would have. What’s your secret?” Josh asked.

“I’m impressed Bobby.” Emily added.

“They know I won’t take no shit from them. Pardon the language ma’am.”

“It’s okay.” she told him. “You boys save room for dessert, homemade cherry pie.”

“Can’t wait.” Dean spoke up first.

“Can I have vanilla ice cream on mine?” Danny asked. “You want some on yours Dean?” 

“Maybe a little.” 

“He likes his pie the way I do.” Danny told his mother. “Isn’t that cool.” 

“It is son, now finish your food.”

“I am.” he said taking another bite of hotdog.


	57. Chapter 57

"I have to say Emily that was some good cooking." Bobby praised her. "Boys help clean up before ya take off."

"Alright." Dean nodded. "The pie was awesome Emily." he told her before picking up items from the table. "You heard the man, everyone grab a bowl." Dean ordered the other two.

"Thank you Dean. Bobby says you're a pretty good cook too."

"I try. It's not too complicated if you follow the recipe." he shrugged.

"I'll have to give you some of my recipes that are easy and really good."

"Yeah the chicken pot pie is really good." Josh told him.

Sam and Danny did as told without hesitation and headed inside with their items. Josh and Emily looked at each other but didn't comment on how well the boys were getting alone. They gathered the other things and followed everyone else inside. 

"Okay if I check my email on your computer?" Sam asked Josh.

"Of course not, go ahead." he replied. "So you heading out in the morning?" he asked Bobby.

"Yep, need to get back to the garage got some cars that need workin' on."

"And the boys are driving back?"

"Right, Dean wants to stop in Grand Island. I think there's some old acquaintances there he wants to see." 

spn

All three adults looked up when a loud whoop of happiness was heard from another room. Sam, Dean and Danny came running back into the room big smiles plastered across the brother’s faces and a mixture of emotions showing on Danny‘s.

"The judge's secretary emailed me; she said I could pick up the signed forms in the morning. He approved everything." Sam rushed in excitement. 

“I’m glad.” Josh smiled stepping to Emily who was trying to be brave and smile too. 

“I’m going to finish getting the last of the few things I wanna take with me. We can put them in the Impala to take back with us.” Sam said bouncing down the hall toward the bedrooms with Dean and Danny trailing along behind him. “We can drop Bobby at the airport and go to the courthouse for the paperwork and head out from there.”

“Looks like you’ve got yourself a new roommate.” 

“It does at that.” Bobby nodded feeling relief that things went in Sam’s favor but staying calm about it for Josh and Emily’s sake. He could tell this was hard for Emily, but she was trying to put on a happy face. 

“You know...” Emily started and cleared her throat before continuing. “Thanksgiving’s coming up, why don’t you plan on spending it with us?”

“Yes, good idea. We can put Danny in with Sam and one of you can have his room and one the guest room.” Josh agreed pleased Emily thought of it.

“That’s too much trouble; we could get a motel room and come over for a meal.” Bobby countered.

“Nonsense, we’ve become family in a round about way, you’ll stay here with us.” Josh insisted.

“Please say yes.” Emily asked again a pleading look in her eyes.

“Let’s ask the boys.” Bobby said knowing he shouldn't be the one deciding this request.

“Of course, they should be included.”

spn

“Does this mean you’ll be leaving tomorrow?” Danny asked as he watched Sam close up a box and tape it shut.

“It does Danny, but don’t worry as soon as we get to Bobby’s I’ll call you. Will that be okay?”

“I guess.” he said sadly snubbing his toe into the carpet as he fought not to cry.

“Don’t be sad squirt.” Dean told him ruffling his hair. “We’ll see each other again soon.”

“Wait, I have something for you.” Danny told Sam running from the room. “I want you to have this to remember me.” he said handing him a metal. 

“This is your first place metal you won on your science project last year, I can’t take that.”

“Yes you can. I want you to have it.” he insisted pressing it into his hand. “To remember me by.”

“Thanks, I want you to have my bike. Yours is getting to small for you and mine’s not that old and still in good shape. When you ride it, you can think of the rides we had together.” 

“Really?” he asked brightening up.

“Yes, I’m not taking it with me and no use it sitting in the garage gathering dust.” 

“Thanks.”

“Can you grab that box Dean?” 

“You got it.” Dean said picking up the box on the bed.

Sam shouldered his bag and picked up the other box and headed for the kitchen. 

spn

“Here let me help you with that.” Josh told Sam taking the box from him.

“Guys, Emily wants to know if we would like to come here for Thanksgiving?” Bobby asked them. 

“Yes! Please!” Danny begged jumping up and down.

“It’s up to you.” Bobby told them seeing the brothers look at each other.

“Fine with me.” Dean shrugged when Sam looked to him first before answering.

“Yeah, that would be great.” Sam smiled knowing this was a big step toward what he wanted, them to be a family.

“Wonderful!” Emily said clapping her hands together happily. She brushed the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes away and smiled at Sam.

“So I guess this is good bye for now.” Josh said pulling Sam into a hug. “Call us when you get there.” he told him brushing his hair down before letting him go.

“I will, I already promised Danny I would.” 

“You guys be careful.” Emily told him as tears filled her eyes again while she hugged him tight. “You take care of your brother.” she said to Dean looking over Sam's head at him.

“Always.” he replied accepting Josh’s hand to shake.

“I love you.” Emily whispered to Sam before letting him go.

“Me too.” he replied before turning to give Danny a hug. “Take care of them.”

“I will.” Danny said holding on to Sam tightly for a moment and the turning to throw his arms around Dean. “I’m gonna miss you.” 

“Hey, I’ll miss ya too squirt, but Thanksgiving’s not that far away. We’ll be seeing ya before you know it.” he told him shifting the box to hug him back.

“If there’s something you forgot let us know and we’ll send it to you.” Josh told Sam as they headed out the door to the Impala. 

“I think these’ll fit in the trunk.” Dean said opening it and pushing some things around back there to get his box back there. He took the one Josh had and fit it in along with Sam’s bag. “Got it.” he grunted slamming the trunk closed pleased with himself.

“Thanks for the meal and don’t worry about Sam. He’ll be fine.” Bobby told them before slipping into the passenger seat. 

“Good bye.” Sam waved as he got in back. “I love you.”

“Good bye son, we love you too, call us.” Josh called to him before slipping an arm around Emily’s waist. She waved to them and wiped at the tears running down her cheeks as Dean backed the car out of the driveway and slowly drove down the street. 

“We did the right thing didn’t we?” she asked Josh softly.

“We did hon. We did.” he said kissing her forehead. “Like Dean said Thanksgiving’s not that far away.”

“I’m gonna miss him so much.”

“Me too.”

“I’m gonna miss them too.” Danny sighed.

“I know son. Sam’s gonna miss us too, but I think we got a good deal, you got another big brother and we got another son.” 

"Can I have a calendar so I can count down the days until Thanksgiving?"

"Sure, that's a good idea and don't forget Sam's going to call so you get to talk to him and email him."

"I know, but it's okay to be sad right?"

"Of course it is and you know it won't be long before you'll be heading off to college too."

"Yeah, I guess. I'm gonna go watch some TV."

spn

“You okay Sammy?” Dean asked his brother glancing at him in the rearview mirror.

“Yeah, I’m good.” Sam answered. “I just can’t believe it’s over and we’re finally together.” 

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Dean said thoughtfully. “What’s time your flight in the morning?”

“It leaves at 9:15.” 

“And it takes twenty minutes to get to the airport, so we’ll leave around 7:45 or so?”

“Sounds good to me.” 

“The courthouse won’t be open until 9 am.” Sam offered.

“We’ll gas the car, check under the hood and check tire pressure before heading there.” 

“I can pick up some drinks and snacks for the road.”

“I for one am ready for an early night. You guys wore me out.” Dean huffed feeling slight twinges of soreness in his muscles from all the activity with his brothers.

"You know Dean I'm proud of you for making a good impression with them. I think it helped them to know Sam wasn't being taken from them."

"Wasn't nothin'." Dean said not liking being the center of attention.

spn

The night was quiet except for the occasional creak or groan from the old building as it settled for the night. A slice of light sneaked around the curtain edge giving a small amount of light in the room. A mound rested on each bed in different stages of sleep as the world moved around them. 

The youngest sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes trying to figure out what had woke him. He tilted his head slightly waiting for the sound again so he could pinpoint where it came from. Sam turned to the other bed when he realized it was coming from his older brother. He eased out of the bed and stepped to the other, trying to see his brother by the dim light. Dean tossed and let out a small guttural groan like someone in pain.

“Dee?” Sam asked carefully not sure if he should wake him or not.

Dean cried out again and Sam caught the words, ‘No, No...Please...’ before he started jumbling the words where he couldn’t understand them. Dean’s head rolled back and forth and he seemed to be straining against some unknown barrier that Sam couldn’t see.

“Dean! Wake up.” he said with more force reaching out a hand to touch his brother. 

Before he could make contact, Dean threw out his arm with enough power to knock Sam off balance for a moment. He grabbed the headboard to keep from falling and turned on the small lamp on the nightstand so he could see his brother better.

“Dean, c’mon man, you’re having a bad dream.” Sam called to him finally catching his flaying arm with his good hand. “I’m here, it’s okay.”

Dean’s eyes flew open the moment Sam caught his arm and he tried to escape from him. He clamped down on Sam’s arm holding him tightly. His eyes were glassy and wild looking and he was breathing heavily and Sam knew he wasn’t seeing him but something from his dream.

“It’s me Dee, you’re okay.” Sam tried to assure him as he eased onto the bed trying to keep his grip on his brother’s arm. “It’s Sam, you’re safe. We‘re in a motel remember? We went to see the judge yesterday and he signed the papers. Can you talk to me?” 

The more Sam talked, the more Dean calmed until he finally focused on Sam’s concerned face. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t put the words together in his head so all that came out was guttural grunts. 

“Hey Dean that’s it, you’re okay.” Sam said once he saw Dean was actually looking at him and seemed to be calming down. “You were dreaming bro, are you okay?” he asked slowly being sure to stay in his line of sight.

“S’my.” Dean finally whispered drawing in long breaths and blinking quickly to clear his vision but he still looked out of it.

“Yeah, it‘s me Dee. You‘re okay.” he asked settling down beside him on the bed.

“S’rry woke ya.” he sighed wiping a hand down his face as his body trembled slightly still not fully awake.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it. Why don’t ya lay back down? It’s too early to get up.” Sam suggested straightening the covers around them not knowing what else to do at the moment. 

"Yeah.” he agreed settling back down on the mattress but not letting go of Sam’s arm like he was his lifeline to reality and he didn‘t want to lose it.

“Why don’t I lay here with you?” Sam said not sure Dean was really awake and knew what was going on. He had a feeling Dean would rest easier if he stayed near him where he could feel his presence.

“Mmm-mm.” Dean answered as Sam slipped under the covers to lay against his side. He rubbed Dean’s hand and carefully got his arm free to lay it on his brother’s knowing the touch would keep him calm. 

Sam watched over Dean while he drifted back to sleep being comforted with his brother by his side. This was the first bad dream Dean had had in a while. Not being able to keep his eyes open, Sam settled in next to his brother and slept. He reached out searching for his brother’s soul and let his essence touch it; calming it and making it feel safe. Without either brother knowing it, their souls meshed as one, making them stronger and more connected than ever.

Neither brother felt the shift of air in the room or heard the flutter of wings as the angel appeared at the end of the bed. He looked down on the brothers examining each one and smiled thoughtfully. The eldest one’s soul was burning brighter than it had in a very long time. It was healing with the youngest one’s help. He stepped closer and reached out to brush a finger over each boy’s cheek before disappearing. The youngest one stirred slightly but never woke from his sleep. Their search to find each other was over, but a life together was just beginning and the angel was going to be there watching over them along the way.

spn

It was almost time to get up when Sam woke and slipped into his own bed trying not disturb his older brother. He didn't want Dean to feel embarrassed or upset about the nightmare last night. He knew Dean was still closed off about some of what had happened to him and Sam didn't want to give him a reason to shut him out, not when they were learning to be brothers and connecting. He knew Dean would talk to him in his own time and Sam accepted that. He might ask him about the nightmares if the opportunity presented itself. Maybe he would do some research on nightmares and PTSD to determine ways he could help his brother, Sam thought as he snuggled in his own bed waiting for Dean to wake up. He still liked to jog no matter where he was and now Sam joined him each morning. He told Sam it was part of his training that they would start in full when they got back to Bobby's.

“You awake over there Sammy?” Dean called to him as he coughed and cleared his throat. “We can get in a couple of miles ‘fore we have to head out.”

“Yeah Dee, I’m up.” Sam replied pushing the covers from his body to get up. “Let me change and I’ll be ready.” 

“Think ya can beat me today?” 

“We’ll see.” 

“Good luck trying.”

“You know one of these days, I’m gonna beat ya Dean, remember, I’m still growing.” Sam taunted him as grabbed running clothes and headed for the bathroom. “And I’m gonna be bigger than you.”

“Dream on bro, you'll have to get a lot faster to beat me.” Dean shot back as he got up to dig around in his bag for his running clothes. "Maybe, I'll let you win once and a while." he said softly to himself knowing how happy Sammy was when he was able to beat him, besides that's what big brothers did. He loved to see his brother happy like he was now, it made him feel that all he had suffered along the way to find him was worth it. His family was whole again and that’s what counted.

A/N: Can I get an Amen, the brothers are finally together and a new life for them is about to start. Only a few more chapters and sadly we are at the end, but I have a sequel started to answer some of the questions that didn't get answered in this one and to see what the boy's lives are like when they get older. I hope you have enjoyed this creation and will read the next one. As always, comments are welcome. NC


	58. Chapter 58

"You boys be careful driving back, ya hear?" Bobby told them as he pulled his boarding pass out.

"We will." Dean told him.

"Call me when you stop."

"We will."

"You have a good flight home." Sam told Bobby giving him a hug.

"Thanks, keep that brother of yers in line." he replied ruffling his hair.

"I'll try, but that might be impossible." he laughed, both ignoring Dean.

"Standing right here." Dean complained staring between the two.

"Better go check in, if ya goin' to be longer than planned, ya'd better let me know. If I hav'ta come lookin' for yer sorry asses there'll be hell to pay."

"I'll be sure to call." Sam giggled at his comment.

"Take care old man." Dean said throwing him a salute before heading off with an arm around his brother's shoulders guiding him out of the airport. 

spn

"How long to Grand Island geek boy?" Dean asked glancing at his brother who was looking at the atlas and scribbling on a note pad. 

"With our given speed and need to stop for gas at least once, I'd say around five hours." he replied without looking up and responding to the jab.

"Chill S'mmy, maybe we'll find somethin' along the way to check out. Nothin' says we're on a schedule you know. We can be a little spontaneous." Dean told his brother.

"It's good to have a plan Dee, that's all." Sam shrugged closing the atlas and storing his notes. “Can I ask a question?” 

“I guess.” 

“What was it like living on the streets?”

Dean pursed his lips and started at the road ahead of him in thought before giving his answer. 

“It was tough, hard, exhausting. You always had to be on alert for danger. You couldn't let your guard down for anything. I mean most homeless are harmless, but you have the ones who have mental issues that could be unpredictable. You learn to be invisible. I found most people don’t wanna be bothered with homeless people and would rather ignore them.” Dean explained to his brother. “You learn real quick where to find the best food and where to stay away from.”

“It opened my eyes when I was out there on my own. How long were you with Aunt Fay?” 

“Around a year or so. I learned a lot from her and the family. I hope she’s still okay, she was old when I knew her.” 

“She seemed good when I saw her and you’re right she is elderly. So she was like the leader of...This community?” 

“She helped put it together and gathered the people who live there, so yeah I guess she could be called that.” 

“And everyone got alone?”

“They did, we all had jobs to do. Sarge and Preacher usually had real jobs they worked to bring in money for things needed. So did a couple of others. I scavenged where I could for useful things and I helped on laundry day and when Aunt Fay went around collecting day old food. I also watched Ollie and Ally.” 

“Were they kids too?”

“No, Ollie has Down syndrome and Ally is autistic. They’re both older than me. Aunt Fay found them and took them in when they were tossed aside like trash.”

“Oh.” Sam said quietly letting what Dean said sink in. “I can’t wait to meet them all and to thank them for helping you when you needed it.”

spn

Dean stopped by a large steel door and searched his pocket for the key. Sam watched him curious to what he was doing, waiting patiently. He found his key and slipped it into the lock, slowly turning it until he heard a click. Sam stretched his neck to see inside as Dean pushed the door open.

“C’mon Sammy.” Dean said holding the door for him.

Sam stepped inside and saw a hallway leading deeper into building. He waited for Dean to lock the door back and lead the way. Dean walked through the familiar space, thinking of the last time he had been here. It seemed so long ago and he was excited to see everyone. He stepped into the living space and stopped for a moment surveying the place. Sam moved up beside him and arched his eyebrows with surprise. This was nothing like he expected. He could see the living area, the long table for eating, the cooking area and what looked like small bedrooms off to the side down one wall. 

“Dean!” a male voice cried out.

Sam watched a young man, who had Down syndrome rush Dean locking him in a bear hug. He smiled watching Dean grunt and accept the hug from the large man.

“Hey Ollie.” he gasped. “Can’t breath.” 

“Sorry Dean.” he said sitting him on his feet. “Good to see you. Look everyone it's Dean.” Ollie called to other people spread through the room.

“My son how you’ve grown.” Aunt Fay said walking slowly toward them using a cane for support. She took his hands in hers and looked him over before pulling him into her arms. “I knew you’d be a tall one.”

“Aunt Fay, good to see ya.” Dean said gently as he embraced her carefully.

“I see you found him young man.” she addressed Sam.

“Yes ma’am I did.” he replied accepting a hug from her.

“Good to see ya Dean.” a large black man spoke in a deep voice as he clapped him on the back. "You’ve filled out nicely.”

“Good to see ya too Sarge.” 

“Hello Sam.” Preacher said to him before turning to Dean. “Nice to see you Dean, you’ve got a very determined brother there.”

“Don’t I know it.” he smiled accepting Preacher’s hand. “I brought you guys some extra supplies.” he said removing his backpack and motioning for Sam to do the same. Dean removed coffee, tea bags, rice, beans, sugar, pasta, powdered milk from one bag and dish and laundry detergent, tooth paste, soap, aspirin, cough drops, other medicines and toothbrushes from another. 

“Why thank you Dean that was thoughtful.” Aunt Fay told him.

“Wanted to help, you're still like family to me. How has everyone been?” he asked looking around at the milling people. “Where’s Jack and Mia?” 

“Oh honey, Jack was killed in an accident when he was working a construction job and Mia got real sick and passed.” 

“Oh.” Dean said hanging his head for a moment. “Sorry to hear.”

“Everyone, this is Dean’s brother Sam.” Aunt Fay introduced Sam to the others. 

“You’re Dean’s brother?” Ollie asked looking Sam over before giving him a hug too. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Sam muffled from his chest. 

“Easy Ollie, don’t break my little brother.” Dean chuckled as Ollie stood Sam back on his feet. 

Greetings were exchanged from others around the room. Dean helped Preacher put away the items he brought and agreed to have dinner with them. Sam stood off to the side watching how his brother interacted with this hodgepodge assortment of people. He didn’t hear the young woman until she was beside him.

“Hello, Dean used to live here. He was nice to me.” she said not ever looking directly at Sam.

Sam jumped slightly when she first spoke, then relaxed and turned to her.

“I know, I’m Sam, Dean’s brother.” 

“Ally, my name is Ally.” 

“Pleased to meet you Ally.” Sam told her remembering Dean had said she was autistic. 

“Want to see my drawings?” 

“Sure, I’d like that.” 

Dean watched as Sam walked with Ally to the living area and a desk that was against on wall. He watched as Ally handed him some pages and smiled when he saw Sam nodding and smiling at her. He couldn’t understand what he was saying, but Ally seemed pleased. Ollie came over and held a book out to Sam and Dean knew he wanted him to read. Sam accepted the book and found a seat on the couch waiting for them to join him before opening the book to read to them. Dean let the memories of him doing the same thing flood into his mind, thinking back to the time he had lived here. 

“You with me Dean?” Preacher asked when Dean didn’t answer his question.

“Sorry, just having a flashback.” he said turning back to Preacher. “What did you say?”

“I asked where are you staying now?”

“In Sioux Falls. I live with a gentleman named Bobby Singer; have for a little over four years. He's like a father to me.”

“So he's good to you?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t of stayed if he wasn’t.” 

“Good to hear, so your brother with you now too?”

“Yeah, just got it legal and all. We’re heading back home now. He suggested we stop to see everyone on the way back.”

“That was thoughtful of him.”

“That’s him, thinking of others.”

“Seems like a nice kid.” he said looking over toward the couch where Sam was reading to Ollie and Ally.

“He is, the family that raised him at least they were good to him.” Dean said a sadness creeping into his voice for a moment as old memories surfaced that he would just as soon forget.

“Wanna chop some veggies for me?” Preacher asked trying to get Dean’s mind onto other things.

“Sure, what’s on the menu tonight?”

“Stew, salad and bread. Oh and cookies for dessert.”

“Sounds good my mouth‘s already watering.”

“Well get to chopping slacker.” 

“Yes sir.” Dean smiled falling so easily back into the routine that he had once experienced here.

spn

“Alright everyone, let’s say grace and we can eat.” Aunt Fay said waiting for silence before she began. She bowed her head and began in her soft, shaky voice. “Bless the food we are about to receive. Watch over each and everyone that sits around this table as they travel on life’s journey. Thank you for a soft bed and warm place to stay and a special thanks for bringing one of our own back and for his search to be over. Amen.” 

Everyone whispered a soft Amen before the clinking of silverware and small chatter started as the food was passed and they began to eat. Sam sat quietly beside his brother watching and listening and trying to imagine his brother living here. He saw the closeness they had and could feel the love in the air as he spooned a small amount of stew into his mouth. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but found it very tasty and appealing. There was just the right amount of spices to bring out the flavor but not be too overpowering. He mumbled a thank you to Preacher as he sat a glass of lemonade in front of him. He noticed Ollie and Ally got milk and Aunt Fay got hot tea while the others had tea or water or lemonade. It wasn’t a lot of food compared to what Emily usually fixed for meals, but no one seemed to mind at all. 

“How have you been Dean?” Aunt Fay asked.

“Okay.” Dean answered not willing to tell about any of the past few weeks. “Almost finished school and Bobby’s teaching me about cars. He says I'm a natural at it.” he added.

Sam glanced at Dean but didn’t say anything when he felt his brother’s mood change slightly. He didn’t think anyone else noticed it as he glanced around the table. He saw Aunt Fay study him for a moment pursing her lips but didn’t press the issue. Sam had a feeling she knew Dean was hiding something. 

“What grade are you in Sam?”

“I will be finishing high school this year.” 

“Just how old are you?” Preacher asked a little shocked.

“Thirteen and a half, I’ll be fourteen in May.” 

“Got ya one smart brother there Dean.” Sarge commented.

“Yeah, he’s a nerd, but I’m trying to get him to have some fun too.” Dean smirked seeing Sam give him a bitch face with the name. “He got all the brains.”

“Don’t know about that Dean, you seemed pretty smart to me.” Sarge told him. “Bet ya still got it.”

“He’s smart, just doesn’t want people to know, might ruin his tough reputation.” Sam said, smiling when he saw Dean blush slightly. 

“Why don’t you spend the night? We can throw another twin in one of the empty rooms for you guys.” Preacher offered. “If you’re in no hurry to get home.”

“That okay with you Sammy?” Dean asked before giving an answer.

“If you want to.” he agreed seeing no reason why they couldn’t. He wanted to give Dean some time with these people who were considered part of Dean’s family.

“Good, we’ll move a bed after dinner.”

“Yea! Sam will you play checkers with me?” Ollie cried happily clapping his hands.

“Sure, but I’m not too good at them.” 

“That’s ok, I’ll show you, Dean taught me how to play.” 

“Sounds like fun Ollie.”

“Better watch out Sam, I taught him some of my best moves.” Dean chuckled. 

He was happy Sam seemed to fit right in with this extended family of his. He had a hint of apprehension at first; afraid Sam would think less of them since they were homeless. But his little brother proved him wrong and he treated all of them with respect and kindness and understanding, especially Ollie and Ally. He couldn’t of asked more from him and it made him so proud and happy. 

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the reunion for Dean. Thank you to all who have joined me in this journey. Only two more chapters left and it will be finished. Comments are welcome as always. NC


	59. Chapter 59

"There you go, it's a little tight but it's only for one night." Sarge said as he settled the twin mattress on its frame at the end of the other bed. 

"Thanks it'll be fine." Dean told him tossing the blankets on the bed. "Sammy the bathroom's at the end on the left, there's extra toothbrushes in there to use when you're ready." 

"Thanks Dee." Sam said looking into the room at the setup. 

"C'mon Sam, I have the board set up." Ollie called to him from the living room. 

"Go on but don't come cryin' to me when he whips yer ass." Dean told his brother. "And Sammy, don't let him win, he knows when you do that. He doesn't need you to let him win." he added softly knowing how kind hearted Sam was and knew he would throw the game.

"Alright." Sam nodded glad he had told him. Sam had planned to let him win a few games if he needed to because he wanted to make him happy. 

"You still remember all I taught ya?" Sarge asked Dean.

"Yep and learned a few new moves along the way." 

"Good, as long as you keep a level head and don't go off half cocked and if you don't have to fight don't."

"That's what Bobby drilled into me too."

"Sounds like a smart man, you listen to him."

"Oh believe me I do, he makes sure I pay attention even if he has to smack me up side the head."

"Don't hurt to give ya a cuff now and then if ya being hard headed." 

"Sarge, how's Aunt Fay? Really?" he asked quietly where no one else could hear.

"She's getting old and thing's don't work as good anymore. Her arthritis is worse but she's one tough woman and takes it all in stride. The clinic gave her some meds for pain and I have to fuss at her to take them. It won't be long before she'll be in a wheelchair. I already found a used one for when she's ready. You know how stubborn she can be."

"Look, I'm gonna give you my number, will you get in touch with me if anything happens? If she needs anything?" he replied scribbling a number on a scrap of paper and holding it out to him.

"You know I will, she has a special place in her heart for you Dean. I can hear it each time she talks about you. You'll always be welcome here if you ever need a place to stay, your brother too."

"Thank you and its good to know. You‘re my extended family and always will be." he nodded. "Let's go see how badly Sammy's getting beat." 

spn

Sam lay in the twin bed listening to his brother shifting around in his bed trying to get comfortable. He wondered what he was thinking about and if all of his stay here had been good memories or if there might be a few bad mixed in there. He was starting to read his brother a lot better now and could sense when he was down or worried or concerned. He knew their connection was special and very strong and seemed to be getting strong the longer they were around each other.

“Dee, you asleep?” Sam whispered looking over at the lump that was his brother.

“No, somethin’ wrong?”

“I wanted you to know I’m sorry.” Sam said softly and sincerely.

“Sorry? For what?” Dean questioned turning his head toward his brother just able to make out his face in the dim light. 

“For...” Sam trailed off trying to put into words the emotions churning in him. “Everything. What happened to you growing up, having to live on the streets, the horrors you had to endure...”

“Stop it!” Dean hissed as loudly as he dared. "I don't want pity! Not from you! "he said sitting up. "It wasn't your fault so drop it." he demanded getting up and stalking from the room to living area. 

Sam lay there for a moment trying to decide if he should follow or not. He knew Dean still felt uncomfortable talking about his past but he wanted him to know none of it matter to him and if there had been any way to change what happened he would in a heart beat. But instead, he made him mad and closed off. Sam huffed out a long breath and looked toward the door again. He would let him cool off a bit and if he wasn't back shortly, he would go looking for him. He had to make him understand he didn’t pity him, not at all, he was proud of him for surviving and enduring the situations he found himself in. He never gave up and never stopped fighting and never stopped looking for him. 

spn

Dean made his way to the fridge by the dim light from a lamp in the living room. He pulled out a bottle of water and poured some into a plastic cup before putting it back. He walked to the table and pulled out a chair to sit down and let his hot headedness cool off. He knew he shouldn't be made at Sam, he really didn't do anything wrong.

"Can't sleep?" a deep male voice asked from behind him.

Dean jumped a foot out of his chair and spun around reaching for a weapon that wasn't there, it was under his pillow in the other room. His stance went back to relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Hey Preacher, just needed a drink of water." he replied letting his shoulders slump.

"I'm getting a sense there's something else on your mind, wanna talk?" 

"I snapped at my brother and he didn't really do anything wrong."

"What did you think he did?"

"Pitying me." he said sipping on the water. 

"For what?"

"Things that happened to me growing up."

"Maybe he was just showing you he cares about you and would never do anything to hurt you. He seems like a good kid and I know he loves you very much. I was impressed with him the first time we met."

"I know." he mumbled feeling bad at snapping at Sam. "He's smart, kindhearted, compassionate and brave to come looking for me like he did. You know I still can’t believe we found each other after all this time. I have to touch him to be sure he’s real.” 

"So why don't ya go talk to him. Don't sit out here stewing 'bout it. You know I always say don't go to bed mad, it just makes for a sleepless night." 

Yeah, you're probably right." 

"Well, don't just sit there, go on, go talk to him." he encouraged.

Dean took another sip of water and got up from the table and headed back to the room they were sleeping in. He stopped in the doorway and looked at the mound that was his little brother. His heart swelled with love and pride and that unspoken need to protect. 

"You awake Sammy?" he asked softly but loud enough for him to hear.

"Yeah Dee." he whispered back turning his head to look his way. He could see him silhouetted in the doorway before stepping to his bed and sitting at his hip. Sam slid over to give him more room and waited for him to speak at his own pace.

“I’m sorry I blew up at you.” he finally got out looking down at his clenched hands and willed himself to relax them.

“No Dee, you don’t need to apologize. I...” Sam started sitting up so he could see him better.

“Please Sammy, I was out of line. It's just I don't like thinking about that time in my life. It happened, it can't be changed, I've learned to not dwell on it and focus on the here and now. I couldn't do anything about that then, but now I can control my life and it just became that much better now that you're in it too.”

“I shouldn’t of made you dredge up those memories Dee. I just wanted you to know nothing that happened then will ever change how I feel about you now. I wanted you to know if you ever needed to talk, I’m here. I won’t judge or even say a word if you just need to get anything off your chest. Sometimes its makes things not as bad if you let someone else help you carry the burden. Don’t think of me as weak ‘cause I’m your little brother, I’m a lot stronger than you know. I hope you know I'll always be here for you and I love you.” Sam told him before wrapping his arms around his brother hugging him tightly. 

“I love ya too Sammy and thanks for being there for me.” Dean mumbled returning the hug and holding him tight. He felt wetness on his face and tried to wipe it away before Sam saw but Sam felt his tears as they mixed with his own. Sam felt the deep, soul connection for a moment before Dean gently pushed him out but felt his brother was okay. After a few moments Dean released his brother and said, “Enough chick flick moments, get some sleep bro. We'll leave after breakfast in the morning.” 

“You too Dee.” Sam smiled sliding back down in the bed. He didn’t protest when Dean pulled the blanket up and tucked it around him just like when he was little. He listened to Dean settle back in his bed and closed his eyes letting sleep taking him away to Never Land. Sam hoped the bad things would stay at bay and his brother would have a peaceful sleep.

spn

The rattling of pots and pans brought Dean and Sam out of their slumber early the next morning. Both sat up in their beds and rubbed sleep from their eyes. Sam yawned widely and started to lay back down.

“Nothin’ doin’ Sammy, we get up early round here.” Dean told him jerking the covers off his body. 

“Five more minutes.” he whined trying to curl into a ball to keep warm. 

“Five nothin’, if ya want breakfast ya better get dressed and to the table.” he told him slipping his jeans on then his boots.

“Okay, I’m up.” Sam moaned pushing himself off the bed. He looked for his jeans and pulled them on and wiggled his feet into his tennis shoes. Before following Dean, he turned and made his bed looking at Dean’s and made his too. 

“Good morning.” Preacher called to them as he sat bowls out on the counter. “Sam wanna help me get the food ready?”

“Sure.” he replied.

“If you’ll put two scoops of oatmeal in each bowl please and be careful the pot is hot.” he instructed handing him a pot holder. Preacher looked over at Dean and nodded to him getting a nod back that things were sorted out last night. “Here Dean, set this fruit on the table for me.”

“Sure.” he said taking two bowls of fruit from him and sitting it at either end of the table. He came back and waited for the toast to finish so he could add that to the table too.

Most of the others were already up and some were getting ready for work, while others were getting ready for their daily chores. Sam had the bowls of oatmeal ready and began to sit them around the table at each seat. Stacey helped Aunt Fay to the table and got her seated. The others waited for her to get settled before sitting down too. Dean and Sam were allowed to sit next to Aunt Fay. They each gave her a hug before taking their seats. The meal went quickly and those heading for work said their good-byes to Dean and Sam and headed out. The guys helped with the clean up and then said good-bye with a promise to stop by anytime they were close. Ollie and Ally both hugged Sam and thanked him again for reading to them. They headed back to the Impala to continue on their journey home.

A/N: Thank you to all who have taken this journey with me and I hope you have been entertained by it. Only one chapter left and this one will be ending. The ride was amazing and you guys were awesome. Love comments. NC


	60. Chapter 60

A/N: Dear readers it's time for this journey to come to an end. I want to thank each and everyone who came along for the ride. I am deeply humbled by your support throughout the story. I know there are some unanswered questions, but that is good because you know that leaves me room to write a sequel. Any last words, please comment. NC

 

The light blue sky was sprinkled with an array of clouds that randomly danced across the sun as the Impala made its way north up Interstate 81 toward Sioux Falls. They were making good time and Dean figured one more stop for gas and they should be able to cruise on without another stop. Dean glanced at the passenger seat seeing Sam had dozed off with his head hanging sideways. His mouth hung slightly open and the starting of a string of drool was hanging from his lower lip, moving gently with each breath Sam took. Dean smiled slyly fumbling his phone from his pocket and taking pictures, zooming in on the drool as it got longer. He knew blackmail when he saw it and smirked to himself as he pocketed his cell. Being careful not to wake Sam, Dean moved his head so he was leaning back against the seat and his neck wasn’t kinked. He had had enough sore necks from awkward sleeping positions of his head and knew Sam didn't need to experience the same thing. He sat back in the driver’s seat and tapped his thumbs along with the music that filled the car. Dean felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders and he hummed along with the music. He looked back over at his brother and gently touched his arm assuring himself, he was real and in the car with him and this wasn't a dream. But if it was, he never wanted to wake up from it. 

spn

“Bro, wake up.” Dean said shaking Sam’s shoulder. “Last stop for gas, so ya better hit the head.”

“Wh-wh-ere ar’ we?” Sam yawned sitting up and wiping his mouth on his shirt sleeve when he felt the wetness on his face. He looked out the window blinking several times to clear his vision.

“About three hours from home.” he answered trailing off as he realized what he had said. 

Sam looked over at his brother’s face and saw a number of emotions cross it before he cleared his throat and reined them in. He smiled softly knowing what he had said meant so much more to him than most people who thought nothing of the word. Home to most was four walls and a roof where they ate, slept and entertained. But to Dean it was more than that, it was not the structure that made a home, it was what you felt when you where there. Home was safety, acceptance, love, happiness, assurance and most of all family. No matter where you were, as long as your family was with you, it was home. Be it a house, a mobile home, an apartment, or even a car. Even thought there were several places that Dean could call home now; the one that meant the most was where his brother was going to be with him. They could actually call Bobby's place their home too and it warmed his heart to know he was able to keep the promise he made so long ago.

“We’ll grab some to go food when we stop.” he continued trying to brush off his slip and letting his emotions show. He didn't want to seem weak in front of his brother or have him think less of him.

“Okay.” Sam said stretching as much as he could in the car knowing his brother didn‘t want what happened mentioned. He was learning quickly that Dean didn’t like showing his emotions and kept them well hidden especially around others. He would drop his wall slightly for Sam, but even then it was hard for him and he understood his brother better than Dean knew. Dean was a very complex and complicated individual who didn't let very many people get close to him. You had to earn that right and his trust and he didn't hand this out easily. One thing was certain, it was better to have Dean as a friend than to have him as an enemy. 

spn

“All I’m saying is you don’t have to eat fast food all the time, it wouldn’t hurt to have a healthy meal now and again.” Sam explained as he forked the last mouthful of salad into his mouth.

“Please! How can someone live on that rabbit food you eat? You need meat to put muscles on your body. You keep that up, you’re never gonna be as big as me.”

“I don’t know, I just might outgrow you. You know I’ve not had a growth spurt in a while, I’m due. Give me a few years and we'll see.”

“That’s a joke, you bigger than me.” Dean laughed as a look of anticipation crossed his face. They were within a few miles of Bobby’s and he couldn’t wait to get there. 

“You called Bobby to tell him we were close right?” 

“Yeah, he’s expecting us.” 

“Just checking.” Sam said as a case of nerves suddenly popped up. He didn’t know why, but he was a little scared now that it was actually happening. 

“Don’t worry Sammy, I got your back.” Dean whispered to him as he glanced his way seeming to know what he was thinking and feeling. “We’ll be okay, we’re together again, everything else will fall into place.”

“I know, but it’s still a little nerve racking.” Sam told him. This was another chapter of his life starting but at least it had his brother in it this time.

spn

Dean slowed the Impala as the entrance to the salvage yard came into view. He turned the car and made his way to the front of the house. A big smile broke out across his face when he saw the banner draped across the front of the porch railing, WELCOME HOME BOYS, in big bold letters. His eyes watered when he saw Bobby step from the house after hearing the car pull up. He quickly wiped his eyes and got himself under control before opening his door and stepping from the car.

“It’s good to see ya boys, how was the trip?” Bobby asked as Dean and Sam walked up the steps.

“Not bad, at least the weather was nice.” Dean told him.

“It was interesting. Saw some nice country.” Sam added.

“I got some dinner ‘bout ready. Go stow your bags and come on to the kitchen.” he told them as he held the door open for them.

“Nice sign.” Dean nodded to the banner.

“Thought it'd be nice to let Sam know he was part of the family.” Bobby shrugged trying to downplay how glad he was they made it back ok.

“I like it, thanks Bobby.” Sam told him giving him a hug and making the older hunter's heart swell with joy. “We can get my other things after we eat, boy it smells good.” 

“You may have outdone yourself old man, my mouth’s already watering.” 

“Get on with ya.” Bobby huffed before turning to the kitchen and smiling to himself where the boys couldn’t see him.

“C’mon Sammy let’s put out bags upstairs in the bedroom. I’m starved.”

“Ya’re always starving.” Sam told him following him up the stairs. 

“I’m a growing boy, like you would be if you ate real food.” 

“Bite me!” Sam fussed. “I’m taking care of my body.”

“Well your body's gonna be mine starting bright and early in the morning. Training will begin so ya better get ready. I ain’t gonna be easy on ya just ‘cause you’re my brother. I hope you know that.”

“Bring it on bro.” he challenged. "You'll be eating my dust."

"I kinda doubt it there short stack. I don't think your legs could outrun a turtle."

"We'll just see, I may be small but I'm wiry and fast."

Yep, it was going to take a little getting use to, Bobby thought listening to their banter as he headed for the kitchen to take the roast out of the oven. He had gone full out for their first meal together as a family. He had Sheriff Mills help him with a roast, along with roasted potatoes and onions, green beans, salad, rolls and for dessert of course he got pie with ice cream and some fruit. He was trying to appease both boys, Dean with meat and Sam with salad. He guessed their eating habits were going to have to improve some since Sam was more health conscious than they usually were. But it would probably be good for him too since he wasn't getting any younger. He looked toward the other room when raised voices could be heard and the stomping of feet as they ran down the steps. God help me, Bobby thought rolling his eyes as one tried to beat the other into the kitchen.

spn

“Anything I can do to help?” Sam asked bouncing into the kitchen with Dean trailing along behind him.

“You can get whatever you two want to drink out of the fridge. There’s milk, water, juice, tea or root beer.” 

“Alright, Dee what’s your choice?” 

“Tea will be fine.” he said taking the stack of plates and sitting them around the table along with the silverware. “You did this?” he questioned Bobby observing the roast he sat on the table.

“Yeah, somethin’ wrong?” 

“Just never knew you were Miss Betty Crocker. So who helped?” 

“No one!” Bobby scoffed at him.

“Bobby, it’s not nice to lie to your sons.” Dean chastised him in that accusing voice.

“Fine! Sheriff Mills helped with the roast, are ya happy?” he growled at Dean but didn't miss the mention of sons from him.

“I knew it! So you and the sheriff gettin’ friendly?” he asked waggling his eyebrows.

Bobby slapped Dean on the back of the head before commenting, “Get yer mind outta the gutter.”

“Ow! I didn’t do anythin’.” he complained rubbing his head and glaring at a laughing Sam.

“Enough horse play, sit down and let’s eat while it’s hot.”

“Man, we need to eat like this all the time.”

“Hope ya gonna take cooking lessons then, ‘cause it ain’t gonna happen with me as the cook.”

“I’ll help cook, Emily let me help sometimes.” Sam offered. "I'm not bad."

“You’re on.” Dean quickly said glad to share the cooking duties.

Dean chewed his food and glanced around the table at the other two eating theirs. Sam was asking Bobby something about his computer and upgrades not noticing that Dean had gone quiet. A month ago, Dean would never have thought that this could happen. His hopes of finding Sam were growing dim, but he never completely gave up. That would never happen; no matter how long it took he would have kept looking. Now that the search was over, it still hadn’t completely sunk in that his little brother was going to be staying with him. They were back together like it should be and he was going to be sure they stayed together. He was deep in thought when Sam waved a hand in front of his face to get his attention.

“Dee? Dee you in there?” Sam asked.

“What?” he complained blinking quickly to clear his thoughts and slap at Sam's hand.

“I asked you twice about running into town tomorrow so I can go to the bank and I need some new running shoes.” 

“Sure, after training and breakfast, we’ll go. I need to grab a couple of things too. That okay Bobby?”

“Fine with me, just stay out of trouble.”

“Great! We’ll grab lunch while we’re out too.”

“Good, I’ll be on a parts run anyway, won’t be back ‘til mid afternoon.” Bobby told them. 

“Works out then, anything you need while we’re in town?”

“Naw did a supply run before ya got here, so we should be good with food for a week or so.” 

“I wanna go to a bookstore while we’re in town and pick up some study books on Latin.”

“Can ya be any nerdier?”

“What? I need to learn it if I’m going to read some of those books Bobby has.” Sam explained thinking it was reasonable.

“Leave th’ boy alone, he’s a self starter and I like that.” Bobby defended him. 

“Wha’eve‘.” Dean mumbled around his mouth of food.

“Dude! Chew and swallow, I don’t need to see the food you’re eating.” Sam fussed giving him a good bitch face.

Dean smiled showing the chewed food just to irritate his brother and quickly shut his mouth and swallowed when Bobby glared at him. Dean knew when he could push and had learned quickly when to stop and do as he was told. 

The meal was finished without any further antics and the boys volunteered to clean up since Bobby had cooked. Dean washed and Sam was drying and putting away while Bobby relaxed in the living room watching the news. 

“Dee thanks for not giving up looking for me.” Sam told him as he dried a plate.

Dean paused for a moment in washing and looked over at his brother. “No thanks needed Sammy, I knew I had to find you, I made you a promise, you’re my family.” 

“I know, but after all the dead ends you hit...Well most would of probably given up. Dee does this feel as right to you as it does to me?”

“Yeah Sammy, it feels extremely right, we are suppose to be together. I don’t know what the future has in store for us, but at least we can face it together now.” 

“Yes, we’re much stronger together than apart. I felt it when we first met. Our connection was strong and has grown stronger the more we're together.”

“I’m glad things worked out without a big fight.” 

“Yeah, me too.” he said drying the last dish and putting it away. 

“C’mon, I wanna show you something.” Dean said hanging the dish towel to dry. 

“What?” Sam asked following him out the back door to the deck.

Dean headed toward the wrecked, partly crushed vehicles stacked in rows four high around the back yard. Sam looked wide eyed at the cars and the deep shadows around them thinking it was a little scary to be among the stacks at night and stayed close to his brother‘s side. Dean led him to a far corner of the yard where the remains of a pickup truck sat. Dean had moved the back seat of a car into the bed of the truck long ago and clambered into it dropping onto the seat. This was his thinking place, where he came to clear his head or just be alone with his thoughts. Sam pulled himself up into the bed and joined his brother turning his head to look up as Dean was doing. He stared up at the stars and moon amazed at how bright and big they seemed. He looked at his brother’s profile in the shadows and saw contentment on his face as he slumped slightly and just kept staring up taking in the world around them. This was the most peaceful he had seen Dean since they had met and settled back too to enjoy the night show with him. Sam sat close enough to have physical contact with his brother seeming to know Dean needed it. Dean bumped Sam’s shoulder lightly letting him know things were good. Night noises were the music and the stars were the main show and Sam couldn’t think of anything better than sitting in the wrecked truck, beside his big brother, not saying a word. None were needed for the brothers to know what the other was feeling and both were at peace now that they each found what they were looking for, each other.

The End


End file.
